We Own the Night
by xthesebonesx
Summary: It was said that the most tragic crime a witch could ever commit was falling in love with a human. So, when Bonnie Bennett moves to Mystic Falls, she soon learns that she's got an affliction for something much more forbidden when she sets eyes on Damon Salvatore. But what happens when this town, it's people, & the man she's deeply fallen for are much more than what they seem? AU.
1. We Own the Night

_Vocamus__, o __magni__! __Nos __cruentatur __sanguine tuo__. S__entīmus__cutem__; c__lamamus __lacrimis tuis.__Sentīmus __dolorem__; t__uum petimus __vindictae.__"_

_The flames alongside the pentagram began to rise, as the three women gripped their hands even tighter; breathing in the crisp air and staring at one another through the night, before they continued._

"_Oh,__deam__! __Te__viris __matresque __cum __sanguine __patres__.__ Tu __vindicabitur,__O gloriosa regina__. __Suum __in terram __ibis__.__"_

_The fire crackled loudly in the middle of the quiet woods, and the three women watched on as the lines in the sand began to shift at each point of the star. Their hands did not separate as they observed the air wistfully carving words on the ground, and the heard seven gentle words float throughout their ears once the movement had stopped._

"_Kill them and I will rise again."_

_The fire vanished, and the three looked at one another with unmistakable eyes, as they rose from their knees and onto their feet._

_It was suddenly colder than it was before, as they walked over to the pentagram, and tried to decipher the words at each point, as they lay before them._

_They weren't words, they soon realized; they were names. Names that they knew were important as they were so carefully crafted here, for their very eyes to see._

_They had to find them. They had to kill them. And they would make them suffer for their sins; one by one._

XXXX

Bonnie moaned in absolution, as she felt his lips dive against her collar bone, over and over again, before she slid her nails deeply against his back in satisfaction.

The good thing about this—_about them _—was that she _couldn't _exactly hurt him this way, and sometimes, she took great pleasure in that; _joy _in the fact that he wasn't at all _fragile, _so if she wanted to be a little rough, she could.

_He'd let her do whatever she wanted._

His lips separated from her caramel skin and when their eyes met, he sent her that familiar smirk that _easily _made her body shiver right down to the bone.

It always did.

"I don't remember asking you to stop," Bonnie said, as she blinked her long black lashes and cocked her head against the pillow. "Tired already?"

He laughed grandly before trailing a soft finger across the sheet and looking down into her eyes, as she never even cracked a smile against her firm lips. He licked his own, before placing his head against her chest.

She breathed in the sweet smell of his cologne and internally sighed as it filled her senses and filtered down to her soul.

_For fucks sake, even his Yves St. Laurent turned her on._

"You and I both know that I can go for _hours_," he answered, as his hand dipped profoundly beneath the blankets and she reared against his touch. _"Let's not get ahead of ourselves."_

Bonnie breathed deeply and shut her eyes again, as she tightly balled a fistful of his deep brown hair into her hand; feeling her body sink deeper and deeper against his mattress, the harder the friction became.

_He was heaven sent._

"Say it," he whispered lightly into her ear, as her fingers began to claw away at his bare shoulders, and his lips smoothly brushed against her lobe. _"Say the magic words_," his voice oozed.

Before she could feel another push, she had him on his back, and he was pleasantly surprised to meet her there, as she straddled over him fiercely, and grabbed his porcelain skin at the neck.

When her fingers tightened, he grinned.

_He always enjoyed the prowess and the pressure that Bonnie Bennett bestowed when she was in a mood._

He _lived _for these moods, honestly.

"After you," Bonnie said, in a smooth velvet tone.

He captured his hand around the crook of her bare lower back and pulled the girl in so closely, she let out an involuntary gasp when their noses touched.

Her fingers remained at his throat.

"I love you," he said in a voice barely raised above a whisper, while her thumb pressed to his skin. "So much, I can _barely _think straight."

A smile formed at the corner of her mouth, and she placed her lips atop his, just to feel the simple brush of the warmth of them against her own. Their eyes remained locked on each other for a long moment before finally she uttered the very few words that he had been dying to hear.

_The words that he'd craved to believe._

"I love you too, Kol," Bonnie replied and he bit his lip in satisfaction before running his hands along her sides again. "And it'll be way too long before I see you again."

"Then why don't we make the most of it, Little Witch?" he asked, as her fingers trailed along his ear. "Stay, tonight. I believe that you want to."

The light from the incandescent moon highlighted his chestnut hair and radiant eyes perfectly, as her gaze wandered over his fashioned abs and muscular arms. She'd just be plain _lying _if she said she didn't want to spend the night, honestly, but she wasn't about to tell _him _that. His confidence—and ego—weren't in need of any boosting.

And he apparently didn't need anything, except for _her. _

"I'm turning over a new leaf," Bonnie said, as she fingered the necklace that lay across his chest. "I'm trying to be less of _trollop._"

"You are anything but a _'trollop,'_" he air quoted. "You're just a woman who enjoys sex," he grinned. "With me. After all, I am your _first, _and I will surely be your last... And I think it's a _beautiful thing._"

Bonnie snorted as Kol ran his fingers through her dark brown hair and brushed her now matted bangs out of the way.

"There are rules, you know," Bonnie said, as he rolled his eyes and searched her own. "Just because we're _allowed _to be together doesn't mean that our parents had any of this," she gestured, "in mind… for a _very _long time. The Brothers and Sisters are strict. About _everything."_

"Who knows what for," he rolled his eyes. "We live in a deadbeat town, with nothing more to do than turn the left cheek to the violent history of what's happened to our ancestors to please the humans. All the while, we must pretend as if we don't exist; as if we don't _matter. _Where is the fun in that? Where's the _excitement_?"

"You sound like Katherine, now. Has she gotten to you, too?" Bonnie asked plainly and Kol scoffed, before placing both hands against her neck and bringing them up to her cheeks to cup them gently.

The look in his eyes was mesmerizing.

"You know you're the only one who's 'gotten to me,' love; don't say such foolish things."

"Okay, so, tell me this—since we have yet to talk about it: what happens when _you_ go back to San Diego? When _I _start college, in a few days? You think this'll actually last?"

"Why wouldn't it? I mean, it's not like we're _allowed _to date outside of 'ourselves,' right? Warlocks and Witches—"

"The sacred bond that shall never be broken," Bonnie continued the familiar quote that she heard at least once a week at the meetings. "Yeah—I remember."

Kol grinned.

"You say that like you don't believe in me, Bonnie. It's quite offensive, honestly."

Bonnie chewed at the bottom of her lip and shrugged dubiously before answering.

"You're a guy—and I know you have 'needs.' Things were easy before, when I could just call you anytime, or pick up and visit California, if I wanted to. It was only a few months, anyway. But now, I… do you think we'll actually make it, Kol? Do you believe in that?"

"I believe in _us,_" Kol replied, as he looked straight into Bonnie's eyes and her gaze softened. "And you should, too. We are… of a _superior _race, Bon—far better than the mortals. I don't think either of us would be irrational enough to throw away what we have for one of _them; _I have no desire to. The Brothers and Sisters disallow it for a reason—because we are _better._"

Bonnie nodded at that as she inhaled a deep breath in.

Kol was the first and _only _boyfriend that she had been allowed to have, solely because he was _one of them. _When it came to marriage or relationships with The League, it was strictly prohibited for any witch or warlock to marry outside of their supernatural race, much less, even breed with the _un-_supernatural—_humans. _

You could, in fact, be put to death for doing so—something about "not prolonging the species," she'd heard.

To procreate and ensure that your child carried on the gene, you were restricted to relationships with another one of your own. The blood of a human simply would not cut it, and therefore, the witches found that creating relationships with their inferiors was utterly useless.

Bonnie, quite frankly, found it a bit ridiculous and extremely hard—especially when it came to dating—because her options had been severely limited. Warlocks were of a limited and dying variety, and actually finding one that you _liked _was even harder.

She'd have to thank her lucky stars that she actually found someone she _enjoyed _and didn't end up in some fixed/arranged witch/warlock marriage, because of supernatural law.

She was indeed one of the lucky ones.

"Do you think I'll like Virginia?" she finally asked, changing the subject, as she looked into his eyes. "It's the 'South,' kind of, and I'm thinking that I may not be cut out to be anything other than a New England kind of girl."

"You'll fit in, Bon. Just like I fit in with all those hippies in the West. Besides, you'll have Katherine and my sister, and your mentors to lead the way… You witches have it better—and infinitely a lot more _cooler—_than we have it. You're going off to college to _learn magic_."

He was right about that part; whatever power warlocks were born with developed for a few years or so as they grew up, but that was it. For witches? They were much _stronger. _They went without _any _powers until the age of eighteen, and then could finally access only thereafter_._

And the possibilities? Well, they were endless. But so were the risks. The misuse of your magic could kill you-or it could simply drive you insane. That was why such an emphasis and importance was placed upon teachers and learning things the _right _way. Because if you did it wrong, you could lose your life.

You could lose everything.

"In secret," she added. "I'll have to pretend to be 'normal.'"

"Until you come back," he said, as his arms wrapped around her thighs and she stared at him purely. "Until we can do magic _together…_ Real magic, Bon; none of that silly feather floating or candle lighting that you only know of, now. Think about how _amazing _it will be once you begin to practice? We'll be able to do anything."

Bonnie felt a grin snake across her cheeks and Kol smiled in return before pressing his lips against hers.

She would miss this—_she would miss him—_while she was gone, but it wouldn't be for long.

Before she knew it, she would be a full witch, and she and Kol would be practicing their craft together. What were a few months away when you had the rest of your life, honestly?

"So, what else?" he asked as her olive eyes followed his. "Any other concerns I can address while we're both here?"

"I don't want to think about that," she shook her head and Kol flashed a toothy grin. "I just want to enjoy the time we have left… _together._"

"Well, surely, I can assist you with that, then," Kol said, and Bonnie yelped as the warlock flipped her onto her back and pinned her at the arms while he looked down at her hungrily.

"What else _do _you want, love?" he asked, with a thick accent rolling off the tip of his tongue, and a gentle whisper floating deeply beyond her ears as it resonated in her head. "Do you want _me_?"

"Maybe," she answered playfully, as she felt his mouth land against her stomach and move lower and lower across her skin.

Bonnie's eyes fluttered closed as her hand got lost in his brown locks and her back arched slightly when she felt Kol's mouth hum gently along her skin.

"Then, relax, Bonnie," Kol smiled, as he pulled her legs over his shoulders and licked his lips the moment she tightened her grip. "You're in good hands, darling."

XXXXX

"I can't fit anything into this bag," Rebekah Mikaelson said, as she flipped the lid to her suitcase and pressed her clothes in even more, before attempting to zip it again. "Quite frankly, this is ridiculous."

"Maybe if you weren't bringing all _fifty _sequined shirts that you own, you'd have more room," Katherine Pierce replied from Rebekah's bed, as she continued to paint Bonnie's nails with a fire engine rust color, courtesy of their nearest MAC store. "Or, you know—you could stop being such a _wuss _and use your powers, just this once, Little One. They're new, but strong enough to get the job done."

"I'm not using my powers," answered through her teeth, as she frustratingly tied her blonde locks into a high ponytail and huffed. "I'm just tired. I didn't get any sleep last night."

"Why? _Diddling_ yourself all night?" Katherine asked bluntly, to which Bonnie let out a snort, as Rebekah scowled. "Your fingers are gonna fall off from sexual frustration, one of these days."

"Just about as quickly as Bonnie's _vagina _crumbles to ashes, then," she said, as the girl sent her a face and Rebekah nodded. "You and Kol, again—_all night. _Don't you two _ever _get bored?"

Bonnie blushed slightly as she felt her cheeks warming to the color that Katherine was painting on her nails, but she shrugged flippantly.

_Curse of the Virgin, she supposed. Sex with Kol was new and exciting, and though Bonnie had been waiting for the novelty to wear off, it honestly hadn't._

She'd been dating Kol for about seven months, and it was never going to _not _be weird that she was sleeping with her best friend's brother. She knew Rebekah didn't exactly _like _it and at this point? She couldn't really blame her.

Her bedroom was right next to his, after all.

"It's gonna be a long time before I see him again once he goes to Cali and we go to Virginia," she reasoned, as Rebekah rolled her blue eyes. "We're making up for lost time… in advance."

"Yeah, well, cut it out and think of the little people, who _don't _have boyfriend's," Rebekah replied bitterly. "_Some _of us were dumped by their _stupid _warlock lovers, after they went off to college and decided to never come back."

Katherine laughed heartily as she capped off the polish and fanned lightly at Bonnie's nails to dry them faster. She blinked her big, doe eyes in both girls' directions before finally opening her mouth to speak.

"Oh, get a grip," Katherine ordered, as the blonde pouted, and continued to stuff her suitcase. "Galen was _hot, _yes, and he had that voice that just… _melted _to every cavity in your body, but I think you're gonna be fine. Your heart will go on."

"I suppose it will. Here's to hoping the pickings aren't so slim in Virginia" Rebekah answered, before finally zipping the suitcase and sighing at the small victory.

"Oh, don't count on it," Katherine said as she loosened her curls and tilted her head. "John and Isobel say we shouldn't get any ideas about 'hooking up' with any of the boys from Mystic Falls. Apparently, it's a supernatural ghost town. _Totally _off the warlock radar."

"Ugh, well that's _convenient,_ "Rebekah said, feigning her joy. "So, I am to be forever alone, huh?"

"Not quite," Katherine said. "I mean, unless you intend on following the rules, I guess."

Rebekah and Bonnie turned to face Katherine who was smiling smugly in their directions, and Bonnie was the first to break the silence, as her brows knitted together.

"What do you mean, Kat?"

"I _mean _that we're finally going off to college you guys—we're _finally _getting the hell out of this town. Do they actually think that the rules of The League will apply to _us _when we're so far away?"

Bonnie opened her mouth but didn't speak as Rebekah folded her arms over her chest after she anxiously tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

She was nervous even _talking _about staging a rebellion. She quickly grabbed the remote for her iPod dock and blasted some techno song that Bonnie vaguely knew the words to, as she lowered her voice.

"Katherine, _don't _even start," Rebekah said seriously, and Katherine scoffed as she looked between the two girls who were both barely masking the dire expressions on their faces, before she rolled her eyes.

"Seriously? What the hell are you two afraid of? We're gonna be _free _once we get to Virginia. And once we learn magic, there isn't going to be anyone who can tell us what to do… At least not _me._"

"Newsflash, Katherine: there's going to be Gloria and Meredith watching over us," Bonnie noted, "We can't just _do _anything."

"I think we'll find a way," Katherine said confidently as her brow rose. "I _always _do, don't I."

Bonnie Rebekah remained silent, as Katherine reached into Rebekah's drawer and retrieved her half empty bottle of vodka. The two watched as she twisted off the cap and took a swig, without flinching once, as it went all the way down.

"Shots?" Katherine asked, as she wiped her mouth and Bonnie ticked her jaw as her eyes narrowed.

"It's three in the afternoon," Bonnie answered. "Seriously?"

"And our meeting with The Sisters isn't until…" Katherine checked her watch and smiled, "_Four _hours from now. C'mon, and live a little, Bennett, Mikaelson," she taunted as she faced them both. "Or are you two going to let the _rules _drive you forever?

Bonnie remained hesitant as she stared into Katherine's chocolate brown eyes, and she watched as Rebekah boldly took a step forward and grabbed the glass bottle from her best friend, only to pour a good helping down her throat, before separating from her lips again.

She laughed a little bit when it dribbled down her shirt, and Katherine smiled in satisfaction, before she turned to face Bonnie, who was still eyeing them like hawks.

"C'mon, angel," Katherine teased, as Rebekah outstretched her arm towards Bonnie, with bottle in hand. "Do what _you _want to do, for once."

Bonnie didn't say anything as her eyes bounced to Rebekah, who was nodding softly with encouragement at the idea of living freely.

Bonnie had never been the type of girl to do so; the one to disobey the rules or regulations that her elders set into place, even when she was convinced she _could _get away with it.

She always did _well, _because it was what they expected of her, and she never dared to overstep her boundaries, even when she became completely sick of them. Being the "good one" was all that she knew. Even in her relationship with Kol; it had—for the most part—remained innocent, when it wasn't sexual.

_She _was innocent.

But Katherine? Well, her best friend since birth had been another story, entirely.

_Katherine was a bit more rebellious, honestly._

She did what no one else dared to, and spoke up while others remained silent. She'd more than made it clear that she was anything but _tame, _and Bonnie still considered it a Christmas miracle the day their mothers—Isobel Pierce, Abby Bennett, and Esther Mikaelson—took them to the Head of The Sisters—Sheila Bennett, Bonnie's own _grandmother—_and she announced that the girls would be going _away _to college after graduating high school; Katherine included.

Katherine, who had been admonished in that _very meeting _for speaking out of turn was actually _allowed _to leave Massachusetts, and the more Bonnie thought about it, the more her head spun.

_Did they really expect this girl to follow the rules while she was away?_

Graduating high school and turning eighteen was a _huge _deal within the witch community, and it was almost one hundred percent certain that your path would be laid out for you, once you were ready to take the next step in the journey. The journey usually did not leave Salem, Massachusetts, for the witches.

Katherine surely didn't believe in "paths," and she didn't like anybody else telling her what her "journey" was going to be.

Rebekah, at least, had been a _slight _bit of a troublemaker, but she wasn't completely disobedient. She listened a majority of the time to the witches, and just like Bonnie, she took the things they said seriously, without turning the other way.

She and Rebekah had been friends since the age of thirteen, when the blonde, her mother, and Kol moved to the states from London, England. Rebekah didn't know much about her family's history other than the fact that her father left her mother before she was even born, and Kol—who was only a year older—didn't have a clue who his father was at all, either.

Rebekah was an interesting person; calm one second, hot-tempered the next, but all around, she was somebody that you always wanted to have on your side. She was fierce, loyal, dependable, and outspoken; but never truly outspoken _enough _that she would completely disregard the things that had been laid into place.

_Until now. Clearly, the idea of "freedom" was slowly beginning to infect her, too._

"Week after week, we go to these _boring_ meetings about our ancestors who were burned at the stake, during the trials. They never teach us any magic; they barely let us ask any _questions,_" Katherine stated, as she broke Bonnie out of her deep train of thought. "Are you seriously _happier _this way, Bonnie? Don't you want _more?_"

Bonnie inhaled a deep breath and shook her head, before walking over to Rebekah's dresser and grabbing her pocketbook. The blonde cocked her head and dropped her arms.

"Bonnie—"

"I have to go," Bonnie said quickly, before she rushed her way out of the room, and slammed the door shut behind her.

Rebekah turned to face Katherine, and the brunette shrugged before tilting her head and extending her hand to retrieve the bottle. When Rebekah handed it to her, she took another long swig of it and gulped it down smoothly, as the music from the stereo continued to blare.

"_She'll change her mind, eventually. I know it."_

XXXXX

"_Hey Damon, have you seen my cell phone? I don't remember where I left it!"_

Damon looked up from his bowl of cereal and scanned around the kitchen, until his eyes finally landed on the shiny iPhone sitting on the counter. He placed another spoonful in his mouth before looking back down at his morning newspaper.

"Nope, haven't seen it," he lied plainly.

Stefan Salvatore finally walked into the kitchen, with his brown hair perfect spiked, and a Whitmore College hoodie paired with white gym shorts.

He was most definitely dressed for a workout, Damon presumed.

Stefan snatched his cell phone off of the counter and eyed Damon narrowly before he began texting. His brother only smiled back in amusement.

"I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not," Damon replied, as he flipped through the _Mystic Falls Daily News, _and continued to chomp away at his cereal. "You're a fucking slob, Stefan."

"Oh, relax, Fun Police," Stefan answered, without tearing his eyes away from his phone as his thumbs continued moving. "You used to like being around me."

"And then I grew up, moved out, and got my own place to get _away _from you. Why aren't you staying home with Dad, again? Did he fire the maid service?"

"As if," Stefan said. "He's running his reelection campaign and I can't get any sleep. I love him and all, but—"

"That makes _one _of us," Damon interrupted, and Stefan rolled his eyes. "I'm just happy he's stopped calling. He gave up quicker than I expected."

Stefan finally placed his cell phone in the pouch of his hoodie and he sat on the stool across from his older brother, with a perturbed look on his face. Damon wiped the milk from his lips.

"Why are you looking at me like I just killed a baby squirrel?"

"Because you _have _to talk to him, Damon," Stefan urged, with wide emerald eyes. "Whatever petty little fight you two are going through has gone on too long."

Damon dropped his spoon, and aimed his crystal blue eyes at his younger brother before licking his teeth. Honestly, just thinking about Giuseppe Salvatore _irritated _him.

"It's not a 'stupid little fight,' Stefan; he's getting remarried after spending _exactly _two months single after the divorce, and I don't like it. Did he ever even really _love _mom?"

"I'm sure he did, Damon, but that doesn't mean that people don't move on; you can't be mad because he found somebody new."

"Watch me," Damon answered, as he rose from his stool and walked over to the sink where he dropped his bowl in and began to run the water. "Besides—I don't wanna be known as the 'Mayor's son,' or any other shit like that… I'm my own person; it's about time he deals with it."

Stefan didn't say a thing as he watched Damon washing the dishes with noticeable aggravation as he scrubbed the spoon. He stood to his feet and pushed both hands into his pockets before speaking again.

"Well, are you at least coming to the party at the frat house tomorrow? It's sort of a 'Welcome Back,' and it'd be awesome if you could be there."

Damon raised a brow and turned to face his little brother whose eyes never faltered, all the while.

"…You're not being serious, are you?"

"Yeah I'm serious, Damon. You're my older brother and it's been a really long time since we partied together. What happened to that?"

Damon pursed his lips and his blue eyes widened a bit.

_He became bitter, that's what._

"I graduated college. And it's a little bit weird when 23 year old grad students _lurk around _after they've finished this shit. I don't party with the undergrads. You know that."

"Well then, maybe you'll make an exception? Just this once," Stefan replied. "Like I said—it's been too long and I want to see you there, brother."

Damon didn't say anything to that as Stefan walked into the connecting living and slipped on his running sneakers.

Stefan was right; their relationship and bond had suffered greatly because of Damon's feud with his father. He always hoped that throughout their differing views on the way Giuseppe conducted things, the two could remain strong, regardless of what happened.

But Damon was, sadly, feeling himself growing further and further away from his family, and he almost resented himself for it.

He resented himself for all of the times he'd let Stefan down, too. His brother deserved much more than this, and _him._

"I've gotta go meet Caroline for a run," "Stefan said and Damon pursed his lips as his brother neared the door. "I'll be back at the frat house by later on tonight and out of your hair, if that's what you're wondering."

When Stefan's fingers touched the knob, Damon cleared his throat, and his brother turned around to face him curiously before Damon finally spoke.

He was breaking.

"What's the theme, of your party? If… know you and I know it's something completely embarrassing and ridiculous," Damon said.

Stefan formed a smirk and rose both eyebrows happily before opening the door and shooting his brother the most innocent look he could muster; Damon couldn't help but roll his eyes at it, anyway.

"Toga party," Stefan said, much to Damon's dismay. "I hope you've got yours ready."

When the door slammed behind him, Damon sighed before rubbing the chin of his pale skin and internally groaning at the fact that Stefan had trapped him, again, with another one of his stupid-as-shit ideas.

"Seriously?" Damon said aloud as he placed his hands in his pockets and shook his head.

_There was absolutely no way he was wearing a toga._

XXXXX

"So, did you two have 'the talk?'" Stefan heard immediately, as he walked into the woods to meet the vivacious blonde who was stretching her arms over her head with a wicked smile and bouncy ponytail intact. "Or did you chicken out?"

It was fairly early in the morning, but he rejoiced in the sanctuary that the others had defined for them deep in the woods, just a short distance from Damon's apartment. He'd always believed in the beauty of Mystic Falls, but it wasn't until now that he absolutely _adored _it, as he found himself running along the rivers and streams, and basking in the sun so long, he'd begun to retain an outer glow.

Stefan Salvatore had become _one _with his environment.

_He'd finally begun to understand it._

"It isn't time, yet, Caroline," Stefan said as he walked over and pressed both hands to the trunk of a thick tree, to relieve his tight muscles. "My dad said the best way to ease Damon into this—_into everything—_is to gain his trust, again. So, unfortunately, baby steps," Stefan smiled bitterly as the girl rolled her eyes and picked up her steel fashioned bow and arrow.

Stefan watched on in admiration, as Caroline Forbes' long torso straightened, and she lifted the device so gracefully, it kind of turned him on, a bit.

_Caroline hunting turned him on a _lot.

He watched as she loaded the arrow easily, and without another word, snapped it out of her fingertips and directly at her marked target far across the forest.

She turned to face him with a cocky smile, and her blue eyes glittered as she licked her lips.

"It's his destiny, Stefan—it's _all _of ours," Caroline reminded as she watched him nearing her slowly, with a knowing look on his face. "We were all born hunters… we have to _hunt._"

"I know," Stefan nodded, as he captured Caroline's cheeks with the palms of his hands, and smoothed his thumbs over her pale skin. "And when everything begins to come into motion, he'll understand—he'll see what we _all _are… He'll be a believer."

Caroline smiled devilishly before she leaned in and placed a deep kiss to Stefan's lips that immediately submerged him, in more ways than one. It wasn't long until Stefan was ripping the very bow from her hands and pushing her against a tree trunk, where he kissed along her jaw and pushed his hands swiftly beneath her shirt.

Caroline giggled as she held him close.

When Stefan finally stopped kissing her, he laced his finger through hers, and Caroline bit her lip as their foreheads touched. His other hand traveled down towards the front of her shorts and she moaned the second he slipped his fingers inside.

A gratified grin spread to his lips.

"It won't be long before we have everything that we want; before we restore the order and the honor that our families once knew," he whispered as his green eyes shone. "I'm sure of that."

Caroline smiled as her lips brushed against his and Stefan didn't say a word in protest, as she reached for his shorts and slid them down, ever-so-slowly.

She ticked her jaw.

"So, let's celebrate," she said, as she pulled him in closer and drew her lips along his ear. "_Here's to the revolution._"

XXXX

"Are you ready for this?" Katherine asked, as her car pulled up the college, and Bonnie gulped nervously before staring at Rebekah, who seemed just as whimsical.

This was it; this was the start of their new lives, and Bonnie couldn't help but feel _terrified, _if she were completely honest.

She watched as the students piled into the quad, arms full with boxes and suitcases. Some were hugging their parents tightly and her heartbeat tripled with each passing moment as she remembered her own goodbyes, before the girls departed from Mystic Falls.

"_I don't like this," Bonnie heard, as she looked up from her mother's embrace and caught her father's eyes; "I don't like my little girl growing up so fast."_

_Bonnie felt a smile form at her lips as she pulled away from Abby, and huffed before reaching in to hug Rudy Hopkins. Her eyes twinkled adoringly, though honestly, she was just exhausted._

_Between saying goodbye to Kol, and now her parents and her grandmother, she'd been a mess all day._

_How was she going to do this? How was she going to leave this all behind?_

"_She's not so little anymore, Rudy," Abby announced, as she smiled in the girl's direction brightly. "She's becoming a woman."_

"_And she'll be a powerful one, at that," Sheila winked, as well. "It's in her blood."_

_Bonnie smiled gently as she took a formal break from the hug to wipe her tears._

_She was going to be okay; she hoped._

_She swallowed hard when the next few people to pull up—Esther and Rebekah, and Katherine and John and Isobel—all exchanged looks that were marked with sadness—but joy, as well—as they watched their "little girls" finally taking the plunge into womanhood._

_It'd been a long time in the making, honestly._

"_Remember to behave yourselves," Sheila said in warning, as the men began to pack up Katherine's Mustang almost immediately with all of their belongings. "You may be on your own, but trust me, I find out _everything.

_Bonnie sent a look to Rebekah—and Katherine, specifically—who smiled innocently, though she was sure her thoughts were anything but._

_Bonnie was 10000% sure Katherine would break about _ten _rules the minute they drove off. There was no stopping that girl._

"_You won't have to worry, Miss Sheila," Rebekah finally spoke up. "We're just happy to have the opportunity, is all."_

_Rebekah smiled purely when Sheila—surprisingly—reached in and gave her a hug._

_The woman spoke in a whisper, but her words for the blonde didn't exactly fall on deaf ears._

"_I knew I liked you better than that other one," she said, before glancing in Katherine's direction._

_Katherine didn't answer that though her tongue clicked, accordingly. You didn't know "awkward" until your best friend's Grandmother hated you._

"_Are we ready to go?" Katherine asked impatiently, as her black stiletto heels hit the pavement, and John slammed the truck. "We have a _long _drive ahead of us."_

_Everyone easily complied as they all waved and hugged their final farewells, and Bonnie felt her fingers tremble. _

_Her father pulled her into one last hug, and whispered into her ear the words she knew he'd say._

"_Be careful, Bonnie."_

"_I will, Dad," Bonnie nodded. _

"_Promise me you won't change."_

"_I won't," she said, feeling the slight start of tears in her eyes, though a smile masked her face. "I promise."_

_Rudy leaned in and squeezed Bonnie one more time, as she let out a laugh that she was swore was mixed with a cry._

_Rudy cracked a smirk when Bonnie pouted her lip, and she rested her head against his shoulder before finally pulling away. He wiped her eyes and she looked down as the silence floated between them._

_Her witch lineage may have connected her more to her maternal side, but there was never a day that she wasn't grateful for the presence in her life that her father had been. Through the ups and downs, tears and laughs, he had been there, for everything. While her mother and the others sorted things about within their chapter of The League, and the men and "children" stayed out of it most of the affairs, he was right here._

_He was always with her._

_She'd spent infinitely more time with her father, growing up, and she'd hoped that witchcraft could bring her and Abby closer, once and for all, though it seemed more like a superficial commonality, if she were honest. Her father may have been a warlock, but such a great emphasis was never placed on the powers that the men had, simply because they were background noise; witchcraft—more or less—belonged to the women._

_And while her mothers and the others were quickly becoming consumed by it, her father, thankfully, had not._

_Her dad just understood her, and throughout everything, he was there, no matter what. And she was thankful for that. _

"Bonnie?" she heard, and her thoughts were interrupted by Rebekah's light voice as it snapped her out of her mind and back into her reality.

Bonnie looked up to see that Katherine had parked and they'd opened her door for her, as they waited for the girl to step out.

Bonnie took in a deep breath and finally did so, feeling her nervousness and fright melt away the minute her feet touched the pavement.

_This place was beautiful. It was all that she had ever imagined._

The fountains, the crosswalks, the people laughing as they reunited with those they hadn't seen all summer; this was _college._

She smiled the moment she locked her door and her eyes darted towards Katherine and Rebekah who were grinning happily as well.

_This was it._

"So what do we do first?" Rebekah asked, as she watched Katherine pop the trunk. "Unpack? Find our dorm? Get our schedules?"

"Get our room keys," Katherine announced, as she looked at the two. "It'll be easier if we can actually get _into _where we're living before we drag all of our shit there."

"Fine," Bonnie nodded, as she clapped her hands together. "I'll go get my key, so we can at least get in. You two can begin to unpack."

"Figures you'd take the easy job," Rebekah teased, and Bonnie smiled before walking off into the quad, as she followed the signs, all the way.

She hadn't been _desperate _enough to use a map, but she half considered it a mistake, the moment she quickly realized these signs were shit and she had no idea where she was going.

_Maybe college was going to be harder than she thought._

Her body was stopped the moment she mindlessly walked into something—_or someone—_and Bonnie let out an apologetic sigh the minute she realized she'd completely knocked every sheet of paper out of the strangers hands and onto the perfectly trimmed grass.

She covered her mouth in sorrow.

"I am _so _sorry!" Bonnie exclaimed, as she immediately knelt down to her knees and assisted him with a hand. "Seriously—my mistake—"she stopped when she looked up into a pair of _very, very _blue eyes and he was half smirking at just how _embarrassed _she'd seemed to be.

"You must be new," he said smoothly, as Bonnie continued to help him gather his papers from the ground. "None of the people who've already gone here apologize for anything."

Bonnie pursed her lips at that as they both finally stood to their feet, and she successfully got a complete look at the stranger before her.

His hair—as dark as a raven—was messily brushed away from his brows, and so black, it matched his form-fitting t-shirt. It was a piercing contrast to his extremely light eyes—and skin—as she was almost sure he could have blinded anyone with them, whilst standing in the sun.

He was gorgeous, if she was completely honest, and he seemed to have a sense of humor, from what she could tell.

That couldn't be too bad, could it?

"I'm from the North; apologies aren't too common there, either," she breathed, and he smirked as he tucked the papers beneath his arm and—shamelessly—began to stare at her.

Bonnie gulped as his eyes strongly met hers, and never dropped in the gaze.

"I'm Damon," he said, extending a hand towards her. "I'm not so good at walking."

"Bonnie," she smiled, as her hand captured his, into a slow handshake. "Me neither."

_Her skin actually tingled—it was a feeling she had never experienced before, and she didn't know why. Yet, for some reason, _he_ felt familiar; as if there were something about him that he knew already._

Bonnie decided not to contemplate it, as she pulled her hand away politely and inahaled in a deep breath before nodding silently.

_Suddenly, she felt anxious. She felt like her head a quite literally spinning._

"I have to go get my room key," she announced, as Damon remained quiet. "I think it's this way—"

"The other way," he pointed with a smirk and she nodded in appreciation. "I can walk you, if you want—"

"I don't need company," she said a bit sharply, and Damon's eyes narrowed. "I just mean that—my friends are waiting. And I have to go—"

"Here," Damon said suddenly, as he handed Bonnie a sheet of paper from his hand and the girl looked utterly confused as she looked down at it within her hands. "My brother talked me into going into my office to make him a thousand copies of these for his frat house's party tonight," Damon said and Bonnie glanced at the huge boldly lettered words on the paper before looking up at him.

_Welcome Back Toga Party._

"Your _office?" _she asked, instead, and Damon nodded. "Are you… a professor?"

"Not yet," he answered and she sighed unknowingly at that. "A grad assistant. All of the work, _none _of the pay," he said and Bonnie snorted at that, as she tucked a strand behind her ear.

"Well, at least your brother _lets _you make him copies. Sounds like he keeps you busy."

Damon laughed charmingly and Bonnie felt her head go into the familiar flurry again, to which she snapped her eyes back down at the paper and then cleared her throat to signal her exit.

She was _not _doing this, again.

"I have to go, Damon, but thanks for this," she said holding up the paper. "I probably won't go but I'm sure my roommates will. This isn't really my kind of thing, no offense."

"Mine neither," Damon replied. "You're not alone," he added, and Bonnie smiled softly at that. "It was… nice meeting you, Bonnie. Good luck getting your key."

"Good luck walking properly," she replied, and Damon cracked a smirk at that. "See you around, maybe."

"You bet," he replied, as he watched Bonnie turn in the other direction, and walk away just as quickly as she seemingly appeared.

There was something about her; something _intriguing, _and he just couldn't place his finger on it. His feet didn't move as they remained firmly planted on the ground, and much to his surprise, Bonnie turned to face him, one more time.

Her olive eyes glistened before she swiftly looked away and disappeared into the crowd.

_It was then that he knew he wasn't the only one who'd felt it. _

**A/N: Hey, guys! So, I've been meaning to write a Bonnie/Katherine/Rebekah fic and FINALLY, here it is! This is totally AU, meaning most of what's happened on TVD is NOT canon, and you'll slowly begin to realize just who and what everybody is. I really hate how neglected the witches and their history are on the show, so with this story, I aim to dig a bit deeper into their background/lifestyle. What do you think so far? I know there are A LOT of things to be answered, but I will slowly get to all of that with the upcoming chapters. ;) So far, how are you digging Kennett's passion vs. Bamon's cuteness? Bonnie's going to have a really different dynamic going on with either guy throughout the story and I am really excited to explore that. A BUNCH of other faces will be popping up, so don't fret if there's somebody that you have in mind for this fic. You may see them sooner than you think. ;) Thank you all so much for allowing me to write for you and share these stories and ideas that I so crazily always have in mind. I know that a LOT of us Bamon fanfic writers were discouraged after the finale (myself included) and right now, I am going to focus on the AU until I can get my head into the canon again. I'm still here and I haven't quit, so don't worry! However, read and review to let me know what you thought and what you think will happen next! Love you all and take care. Until next time! :D**


	2. Bad Blood

**Bad Blood**

"A toga party? An _actual _toga party, and _you _don't want to go? What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" Rebekah asked, as she stared at the flier in her hand. "Are you allergic to celebrations of all sorts?"

Bonnie sighed as she placed a vase from one of the boxes on the coffee table in her, Rebekah, and Katherine's dorm suite.

Rebekah impatiently tapped her foot as the brunette continued to set up, before Bonnie finally replied to her words.

"I just—I'm not into it, okay?" Bonnie said, as Rebekah listened. "It's our first night here, guys; I was hoping we'd do something _simple. _Something—"

"Boring?" Rebekah battled and Bonnie licked her teeth.

She'd been immediately regretting her decision to tell Rebekah and Katherine about this party in the first place, now that it seemed like they wouldn't let it go; Rebekah, especially. The blonde had been complaining for the last half hour, and Bonnie was about ready to shove her into a closet and lock her there, if she didn't give it up already.

"Let me guess," Katherine finally chimed in, as she poured herself a glass of wine and walked over to the couch, taking her seat leisurely. "You promised Kol phone sex?"

"What? No!" Bonnie replied and Katherine pulled her eyebrows in. "Are you joking?"

Katherine narrowed her eyes.

"_Skype sex?"_

"There is _no_ virtual sex going on, guys," Bonnie said frustratingly, as she now held the box of brand new plates and shook her head feverishly. "I don't know who you guys think I am."

"Someone who wants to stay in on her first night at college; I believe they call that _brain dead_, in the modern world," Rebekah chirped and Bonnie rolled her eyes as she bit her lip.

Katherine shrugged knowingly.

"Bex is right, Bonnie. I mean, if this frat is _half _as big of a deal as the flier makes it seem, then we are definitely going to miss out on something huge. And you know me—I _don't _like to miss out on a good time."

"I've realized," Bonnie replied, as her eyes dead-panned to Katherine's. "Remember that time you mixed vodka in the punch bowl prom, and got everybody wasted before the first dance even _started? _Jenny Arguetta puked all over her shoes when she went up to win prom queen."

Katherine smiled shrewdly as she licked her lips.

_Sometimes Bonnie believed she was actually the devil, reincarnated. _

"But _Bonnie_—I _really _want to pledge a sorority this semester and this will be the _best _thing for me to see what it's like," Rebekah pouted, as she moved in and took both of the girl's hands into her own. "Please, Bon? You know this college experience doesn't mean a thing to me if we're not all in it together."

Bonnie inhaled a deep breath and she glanced at Katherine who was nodding in agreement from the couch, as expected.

_Why did they always have to team up on her?_

The idea of losing control over herself at a party frightened her, and she believed she'd never be able to completely or fully let go, simply because she didn't know how to.

Bonnie Bennett didn't have the slightest idea on how to let loose. And sometimes, it frustrated her.

_Why couldn't she just get out of her own head?_

Bonnie felt Rebekah's fingers wrap tightly around hers and she exhaled longingly before shaking her head and watching the blonde's smile grow accordingly.

She was giving in.

She supposed that going out tonight could be a nice break from unpacking and worrying about the state of their living space. It was their first night of "freedom," after all, and when the girls formally would begin to study and practice magic, who knew when she would have the time to be normal college freshmen, again.

_Who knew if she would regret her decision to have a chance at simply _living?

"Fine, I'll go," Bonnie mumbled, and Rebekah felt Katherine smiling from across the room as she sipped her red wine. "But I'm _not_ wearing a toga."

"Oh, for Christ sakes, Bonnie—you _are _wearing a toga!" Rebekah exclaimed. "We _all _are. It's the dress code! I'll go buy our outfits now," Rebekah said excitedly, as she grabbed her bag and exited the room as swiftly as that.

Bonnie turned her attention back to the boxes, though she felt Katherine's eyes burning through her, unashamedly. When she finally looked up, the brunette was standing to her feet.

Bonnie knew exactly what was coming next.

Katherine wasn't particularly _predictable, _but knowing what she would say or do next was never too hard to figure out, if you knew her the way that Bonnie did. And she knew the curly-haired fire starter like the back of her hand.

"What, Katherine?" Bonnie asked tiredly, and the girl breathed lightly in response as her heels clicked against the hardwood floor.

Katherine blinked innocently.

"You could always ask your _friend _for the scoop, on the whole 'toga-wearing' thing if you're really not into it, you know. He did say he was going tonight right?"

Bonnie felt her cheeks heat up at the instant remembrance of the dark-haired stranger that she'd met in the quad, before she chastised herself quickly and swallowed hard.

She should have just pretended like she found that flier on the floor to be honest.

"Yeah, I mean, I guess he'll be there," Bonnie said nonchalantly, as she turned away to hide the fostering apprehension behind her eyes; why did the thought of this _guy _put her so on edge? She barely even knew him. "His brother is in the frat or something. I don't know—I don't remember."

"Was he cute?" Katherine asked, as Bonnie spun to face her. "This _Damon _character? You didn't tell us a thing about what he looks like."

Bonnie took in a deep breath and shrugged lightly, as Katherine placed a hand on her hip and awaited her response. She wasn't going to let this go, she realized.

"Oh, c'mon. Rebekah isn't here to make you feel guilty about Kol—you can talk freely, you know."

"It has nothing to do with Rebekah," Bonnie shot back. "H-He's not my type. Besides, it's not like I was _looking—_"

"_Everybody _looks, Bonnie," Katherine said, as Bonnie's olive eyes blinked slowly. "_Everybody. _It's not a crime, you know. It's in our nature to size up what we already have against every pretty little thing or person that comes along."

Bonnie shook her head, before heading towards another box, as Katherine finished her water and folded her arms. There was no way Katherine was right.

Damon was just some _guy; _a cute one, definitely—_tall, dark, and handsome personified, basically_— but what did it matter? She saw "cute" often enough to know that it was what was on the inside that really counted, and quite frankly, she didn't really _care _to get to know him, anyway.

He was funny, sure, but that was it. Guys like Damon were a dime a dozen. Guys like Damon couldn't change or even affect her life if they tried.

_Yeah; she'd never let him get to her._

"He's not my type," Bonnie repeated firmly, before heading out of the room and into her own, to continue unpacking.

She was in love; she had Kol. She didn't need anything or anybody else.

And she believed it was as simple as that.

XXXXX

"I can't believe I'm wearing a _sheet _in public," Bonnie said later on that night, as she walked next to Rebekah and Katherine.

They were headed towards the massive white house that was already rocking with the signs of the party, as other students hung out on the lawn, clad in togas with red Solo cups in hand.

Bonnie uncomfortably tugged at her dress and Katherine slapped her hand lightly before raising a finger.

"Quit it. You look amazing," she stated as they continued to walk, and Bonnie shuddered.

Bonnie sighed as the frat member opened the door and nodded them in. She swallowed hard, as her gold heels—courtesy of Katherine, of course—clicked against the floor, and they walked in.

What she saw before her was like _nothing _she had ever seen, in her entire existence. In fact, Bonnie was confident that that this scene was something she had seen out of a movie; she was utterly convinced that none of this could actually be _real _life.

Her eyes widened as the blaring music pounded against every surface of the massive three-story colonial home, and the lights flashed in tune with the DJ who was spinning at the top of the booth. She scoffed in disbelief at the line to the bar on the side, and her gaze immediately followed on as she watched the students doing keg stands and taking shots from an ice luge. Just beyond the packed out dance floor, there even _more_ people than she could count dancing with glow sticks and drinks in hand.

_So, this was what the Greek Life was all about._

She turned to Rebekah who was smiling freely like a kid in a candy store, and then to Katherine whose eyebrows rose with satisfaction before looking at Bonnie dead in the eyes.

"Do you still regret coming?"

Bonnie pursed her lips as she glanced around the massive party space; from the staircase where people were in the midst of the traffic taking pictures, to the huge letters of the fraternity club emblazoned on the wall, to finally, the crowd of people cheering in front of her as a striking guy with chestnut brown hair made his way up to the DJ platform, with a stunning blonde on his arm.

They looked like actual Grecian _royalty._

"Who the hell is _that_?" Rebekah interrupted, as she leaned in and Katherine licked her lips as she eyed his defined muscles and broad shoulders while he spoke to the DJ.

She had _no _idea, but she was interested in finding that out, herself.

"That _is Stefan Salvatore," _they heard, and the three girls whipped around to meet eyes with a tiny brunette who was eagerly drinking out of a Solo cup whilst eyeing the platform. "The mayor's youngest son… He's, like, the big man on campus; President of Alpha Kappa Delta… First sophomore to ever be voted in by a landslide in Whitmore College history," she babbled. "His brother didn't make President until his _junior _year."

Bonnie continued to stare up at Stefan who was donning a smile on his face as he spoke fluently.

So _that _must have been Damon's little brother.

"And the oh-so-bubbly blonde with him?" Katherine asked, a bit dryly, as her voice cut through Bonnie's thoughts.

"Caroline Forbes," the information box replied. "Stefan's girlfriend, Sheriff's daughter, cheerleading squad captain, and vice president of the Sigma Omega Phi… they're basically a power couple," she gushed.

"I'll bet," Katherine muttered, as she continued to eye them, before turning to the stranger and tilting her head. "And who are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"April," she said anxiously. "I'm April Young. I'm a freshman here, but I grew up in Mystic Falls… My dad is best friends with Giuseppe Salvatore—the mayor—"

"Stefan's dad," Katherine said. "Bingo."

"Yeah and I'm pledging Sigma Omega Phi," April continued. "You guys should _totally _rush with me. I know that I just met you but—"

"You're rushing Sigma Omega Phi?" Rebekah asked immediately. "Do you have a bid already?"

"Well, no, not yet," April said. "But my dad knows people, so it'll be easy. And I kind of know Caroline—"

"Can you introduce me?" Rebekah asked, as she looked into April's big blue eyes. "I mean, I was considering rushing myself and if I could have a little chit-chat with Miss Everything over there, that'd be fantastic. Please."

"Right now?" April asked nervously. "It's kind of a party and—"

"I don't care," Rebekah said seriously, as she grabbed April by the forearm and cocked her head. "Shall we?"

April smiled tensely and Katherine and Bonnie snorted as they watched the blonde drag the girl off so harshly, they were positive her arm would be black and blue in the morning.

Bonnie observed on as Rebekah led April up and over towards the DJ booth where Caroline was just exiting and they stopped her immediately.

Bonnie turned to Katherine and folded her arms over her chest. The brunette returned a glance.

"How long do you think it'll be until Rebekah scares that girl off?" Bonnie nodded and Katherine ruffled her brown curls easily before licking her teeth.

"Ten minutes. Just enough time for me to get hammered. Care to join me?"

Bonnie sighed, but she reluctantly followed Katherine over to a nearby keg and she watched on as the girl grabbed two cups from the top and began to pump them accordingly.

"Don't give me that much," Bonnie said as she watched. "You're lucky I'm even taking a _sip._"

"Oh, and don't I know it," Katherine replied with a large smile as Bonnie folded her arms.

"Have you even _used _a keg before, Katherine?" Bonnie asked skeptically, as the girl's slender arms pushed at the pump so furiously, she believed the entire thing might actually explode. "Do you have _any _clue what you're doing right now?"

"No," Katherine admitted and Bonnie scoffed. "But don't I look good trying?" she winked.

Bonnie rolled her eyes but she couldn't help but forge a smile at the ridiculousness of the world's biggest primadonna, Katherine Pierce, attempting to pour them each a cup of fizzy beer, and failing miserably.

"Here, let me try," Bonnie said and Katherine raised both hands in dissolution, as Bonnie took the hose into one hand and pushed down on the top of the pump with the other.

She was sure she looked completely nonsensical right now, but within the crowd of people dancing, drinking, smoking, and whatever else, she actually didn't care.

Sometimes, it was good to be just a number.

She should have known better than to think she'd be completely invisible though; her life just never seemed to work out that way, even when she wanted it to.

"_I'm gonna go out on a whim and say that this_ might_ be your first rodeo," _they heard, and Bonnie spun around to see those familiar—and disastrously enchanting—ice blue eyes staring back at her, with his pink lips curled into a grin and his arms across the black-shirt clad on his chest.

_The fucker wasn't even wearing a toga._

"I—"Bonnie started and stopped.

_Why was she speechless, all of a sudden?_

"Remember me?" he asked. "You assaulted me in the middle of the quad," he smiled.

Bonnie's face warmed a bit and Katherine smiled haughtily as she pointed an index in his direction. Bonnie's stomach tightened immediately; her best friend had a track record for being completely _malignant _in these situations.

Where there was a will, there was a Crafty Katherine, cooking up some sort ill-advised plan that Bonnie would have to contend with and/or solve later.

Her grin could light the way of a million chariots.

"You must be _Damon_," Katherine immediately deducted, as she finally placed her index to her lips and tapped them inquisitively. "Bonnie's told me _so _much about you."

"Did she?" he asked with undying satisfaction behind his eyes and Bonnie's eyes widened.

"Yeah, I mean, I was hoping we'd run into that _hot guy _who had my best friend, here, all tongue-tied this afternoon," Katherine winked and Bonnie sucked her teeth.

Damon didn't say a word to that, but Bonnie could tell that by the look in his eyes, he was definitely enthralled, though he wasn't willing to show his cards, just yet.

Too bad she _was._

"She's joking," Bonnie instantly interrupted, as she sent Katherine a sharp look before turning towards Damon and taking in a deep breath. "And I am _frustrated _with this keg, so—you could make yourself useful and help us. Or you could just stand there. Like you're already doing," Bonnie snapped fiercely, as his eyebrow rose.

Katherine bit her bottom lip as she watched the exchange between Bonnie and the stranger who was standing no more than a foot away from her.

When Bonnie was embarrassed or exposed, _or both, _she _always _went into defensive-mode. And _that _was always more fun to watch, than anything.

"C'mon, Damon," Katherine finally chimed in, as she tilted her head. "Show Bonnie, here, how it's done."

Damon narrowed his eyes at Katherine playfully before taking the hose out of Bonnie's hand and motioning for her friend to tilt both cups before him.

He filled them up with such an innate ease, Bonnie almost wanted to smack them out of Katherine's hands just so he'd have to do it again.

_Just so she could forget just how hot her face suddenly felt._

"You know," Damon said, as he turned to face Bonnie, who was cautiously raising the foamless beer to her lips, and frowning at the smell of it. "I remember you being much _nicer _when we met… Is that how you get yourself invited to parties? You trick unsuspecting strangers into thinking they can trust you and then you _demand _that they pour your beer?" he asked.

Bonnie scoffed as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and took a sip of the beer, finally; letting the acidity of it slither down her throat while she tried not to react to the taste at all.

But damn't, it was hard. Beer had never, _ever, _been her thing.

Neither was _whatever _the hell else Katherine started right now. The girl was out of her fucking mind, she deduced.

"And is _that _your trick?" she countered, and Damon's brows furrowed, as she watched him beginning to fill his own cup. "You pretend like you're not interested in this _thing _at all, and then you show up in your regular clothes, while the rest of look like idiots?"

Damon smiled at that, before he finally raised his cup to his lips and took a sip.

"I said I was anti-toga; not anti-partying. You should learn to be a better listener, now that you're in college," he winked. "Besides—you don't look like an idiot. You look…" he trailed off, and cleared his throat. "_Decent."_

Bonnie snorted at that, before she heard the sound of Katherine clearing her throat, and the two turned to face her as she sent them both a demure smile before sucking in a bout of air.

Bonnie knew that look. And she knew that Katherine had plans in mind.

"I think we should take a shot," Katherine said, and Bonnie's expression dropped, but the girl continued. "You know—to _new friends, _and whatnot."

"He's not my friend," Bonnie said quickly. "And I don't take shots. You know that."

"Fine," Katherine said easily, as she looked into Damon's big blue eyes and smiled valiantly. "He can be _my _friend, and _we'll _do a shot without you. You did say you weren't anti-drinking, right?" Katherine asked, and the man rolled his tongue over his lips in deep thought before nodding.

"Absolutely," he confirmed. "We can be _friends, _Katherine," he winked and Bonnie pressed her lips into a thin line when her stomach tightened.

_Really?_

"Isn't it against school policy for you to be here?" Bonnie asked brashly, as she took another sip of the putrid drink and wrinkled her nose. "I mean, you're practically a _professor_—"

"I'm an _assistant,_" he countered. "It's not the same thing, trust me. And besides… there aren't any particular _rules, _per se, when it comes to partying, however it is probably… frowned upon. It's kind of pushing it, my being here," Damon confessed.

"So why do it?" she asked. "Why risk your job for," she shook her head and sneered. "some _awful _beer?" she challenged.

"Because of that little _bastard_," he said, as he pointed towards the front of the party, at the very same chestnut-haired, chiseled-from-the-gods, guy that April filled them all in about. "Stefan Salvatore. He's my baby bro. And I decided to make baby bro _happy, _for once, by showing up at one of his ragers. Instead of watches or ties or videogames, my brother simply just likes to have a good time—with me, I guess. I figured I'd oblige him, just this once," Damon said and Bonnie remained silent as she watched Stefan graciously hugging some guy across the room and talking in such a lively manner, Bonnie thought his electricity alone was powering the place.

Katherine's eyes lit up imaginatively before she opened her mouth.

"So, Stefan is your brother," Katherine stated, and Damon nodded. "Please, tell me—his relationship with that bottled blonde he's walking around with… that's just _temporary, _right?" she asked, and Damon laughed as he bit his lip and shook his head.

"It's not a joke, my brother is very much in a relationship with Caroline," he noted, to which Katherine pouted. "But between you and me," his voice lowered. "It's a bit on the… _open _side, if you know what I mean."

Katherine smiled at Bonnie and then let her eyes roam towards Damon's before she sipped her drink.

"_Good to know."_

Bonnie huffed at that, as she looked at Damon again.

She swallowed hard when their gaze met, and she was overwhelmingly reminded of the feeling in the pit of her stomach that plagued her the minute their hands brushed against one another's earlier that day.

And she didn't know why, but it equally scared and intrigued her all at once.

_Except, she was entirely _not _too ready to admit to the second part, yet._

"If we head over to the bar, I can get us something, no problem. My buddy Tyler is the bartender tonight. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to help a friend out."

"Perfect," Katherine clapped her hands together, before looking to Bonnie who was still contemplating her presence, here. "Are you coming?"

Damon and Katherine hit it off so well, she thought, they didn't even need her here, at this point.

_Then again—why did she even care if they did?_

_What the hell did she even expect when she decided to come here? Did she even realize that she unknowingly was hoping to see _him _again? _

_Did she want to admit that?_

"Let's just do this before I change my mind," Bonnie said as she began to walk, and Katherine and Damon exchanged looks of satisfaction before they followed the girl closely behind.

Bonnie swallowed hard when her eyes finally set gaze on the bar, and the smoothly tanned boy behind it, effortlessly preparing drinks for the crowd before him, at the speed of light.

His deep brown eyes looked up to meet Damon's the second they walked over and joined the crowd, and he Bonnie watched as he reached into a bin behind him, grabbed a set of keys and tossed them to him.

He smiled handsomely.

"It's a madhouse, go help yourself. Just remember to bring that key back."

"As you please," Damon winked before he turned to face Katherine and Bonnie, who wouldn't admit that she was undoubtedly impressed at how easily Damon delivered on his promise.

Or maybe she was just relieved that she didn't have to wait on this line.

"Follow me," Damon gestured, and Bonnie turned to face Katherine who didn't make a motion to think twice about before shadowing in Damon's path, through the crowd, and seemingly out of the aim of private eye.

Bonnie adjusted her toga as she walked, and took one lasting glance behind her before descending down the stairwell.

_On second thought, maybe she _would_ have preferred to wait her turn on that line._

XXXXX

"In closing, I think that I would make a _fantastic _addition to your sorority," Rebekah said confidently, as she folded her hands and smiled proudly. "I know the rush hasn't officially begun, however, I didn't see the harm in putting myself out there as early as possible. I prefer to stay on top of these sorts of things," she added.

Caroline Forbes looked down at the spiraled curl of blonde hair that was loosely wrapped around her finger, and her clear blue eyes never lifted in Rebekah's direction until she finally spoke.

"Do you like this color?" she asked thoughtlessly, as Rebekah's brows knitted together in confusion at the girl's sudden inquiry.

"Pardon me?" she asked bluntly and Caroline sighed as she finally unraveled her finger and took a sip of her margarita with a look of boredom on her face. "I don't understand the correlation between my proposal for your sorority and your… highlights," she answered honestly.

Caroline ran her tongue over her nude lips and cocked her head to the side as she stared Rebekah down.

Rebekah remained tall, however, in an effort to show her that she refused to back down.

She'd known girls like Caroline Forbes, back home; hell, she _was_ that girl.

"Here's the thing, _Rebekah_," Caroline drawled, as she moved in a step closer and lowered her voice one octave, as she stared directly into her eyes. "I know that you have high hopes for your future in Sigma Omega Phi and that's _cute _and all… But I'm going to let you in on a little secret; you _don't _stand a chance."

Rebekah blinked silently before folding her arms over her chest and straightening her posture. Caroline didn't waver.

"And why not? I am _everything _that you are looking for; smart, assertive, and pretty damn attractive, if I do say so myself," Rebekah listed and Caroline feigned a smile before letting out a deep breath and shaking her head.

"We don't extend bids to _outsiders_," she said informatively. "I'm sorry that you don't know how things work around here, but that's how it's done. And I would hate to see you waste your time trying to get in where you _won't _fit in. Quit while you're ahead."

Rebekah didn't say a word as Caroline finally pushed past her and out of the secluded corner to go rejoin the party.

_What could she say, really?_

Back home, she'd never had a problem getting what she wanted or being the one who called the shots. But here, in Mystic Falls, things were different and she didn't like it.

There were people like Caroline who were intent on making sure could not be at her most powerful, and she almost laughed at the challenge.

She was anything but a quitter and Caroline would learn that, very, _very_ soon.

"For a sophomore vice president of the most exclusive sorority in Virginia, you are quite threatened by a measly little freshman," Rebekah said airily, to which Caroline whipped around and her blonde curls bounced at her shoulders.

She smiled amusedly before catching her eyes.

"_Excuse me?"_

"You heard me," Rebekah answered, as she moved in closer and Caroline scoffed with disbelief. "You're afraid that if I even get the _chance _to rush your little club, I might just take away your shine; people won't even remember what it is that they _like _about you… That is, if they like anything, at all."

Caroline's jaw ticked as she polished off the rest of her margarita and eyed Rebekah strongly. It felt like Rebekah had fire in her bones the longer Caroline stared at her, but she didn't care. She planned on making a statement and a name for herself, sooner or later.

Why not sooner?

"You don't know me at all. And you surely don't know what I'm capable of," Caroline replied in a soft tone, and Rebekah smiled this time as she placed both hands on her hips and shrugged flippantly.

Caroline's blood boiled.

"No, I don't," Rebekah said honestly, as her eyes trailed from the top of Caroline's apricot face, all the way down to her toned legs and back up to her eyes. "But I look forward to ripping you _completely _apart, anyhow. _Limb by limb._"

It was Rebekah's turn to walk away as she pushed past the girl and her heels clinked as she made her way down the stairs. She'd never been one for empty threats, so she did hope that Caroline would take her seriously enough.

She didn't get too far, though, before she heard somebody struggling to call her name through the pounding music, and she turned around to see April waving frantically as she pushed her way over.

Rebekah waited; impatiently, though. She'd honestly even forgotten that April was _there_, to be honest.

"Hey, Rebekah—"

"What do you want? Shouldn't you be telling Caroline how pretty her hair looks or something? You are one of those 'insiders' that she was referring too, right?" Rebekah asked angrily, and April sighed as she shook her head quickly.

"Does it matter? What you said—what you _did _was really cool," April said and Rebekah's eyebrows knitted as an exciting smile lit up April's cheeks accordingly. "People just don't _stand up _to Caroline Forbes and honestly? I've never seen her so afraid."

Rebekah didn't say a word, but she could feel her own calming grin beginning to set onto her face the longer she watched the sheer intrigue in April Young's eyes.

_Had she really been the first?_

"Look—I get it if you don't wanna be friends or anything because of this entire situation—"April started and Rebekah stopped her immediately by placing both hands in the air and shaking her head.

"Slow down, I never said anything of the sort… I meant what I said to Caroline—about not giving up. Now, if you still want to be friends with _me, _even though this might ruin your shot at being Caroline's _pet_, it's your call. But I'm letting you know right now, April, that I am somebody that you would _benefit _from having on your side. No questions about it. And if you choose to be on mine, just know that I'll have your back. Okay?"

April smiled purely and Rebekah inhaled a deep breath, without saying anything more.

She had ways and the means to make Caroline's life a living hell that she surely would exploit if she didn't get what she wanted. She didn't exactly _need _April's help, but it would be nice not to do this alone, she realized. Bonnie would tell her to just let the stupid little feud go, and Katherine—while she _would _actually be game for causing a lot of trouble—wouldn't be into it for the reasons that mattered to Rebekah.

Katherine hated sororities. And even though she had been fully on Team Rebekah earlier at the dorm room in support of getting them all here at this gathering, it wasn't because she cared about Rebekah's pledging and networking opportunities; it was because she wanted to party. Having Katherine as a partner in crime was a gift and a curse sometimes, but with this, it would definitely just be a disaster.

Human April would do, for now.

Rebekah finally broke out of her thoughts to see April nodding and she smiled quaintly before slapping her hands together and pursing her lips.

First course of action? Never let the enemy see you sweat.

"Care to join me for a drink, April?" Rebekah asked and April nodded in agreement before glancing over at the crowded bar and frowning consequently.

"Did you mean beer from the kegs, or…"

"No, a _real _drink," Rebekah said as she turned to face the bar and internally cleared her throat before shutting her eyes.

She'd had a strict "no-witchcraft" rule prior to actually meeting her soon-to-be-mentors, but she'd figured she could do a simple little spell and break the rules, just this once.

If anyone even found out that she'd _thought_ about it, she could be in huge trouble; much more than she had ever known.

But when her skin began to tingle and the unfamiliar—but exhilarating—feeling of pure _power _erupted within her, she knew that she had to do this.

She was _destined _to do this.

Rebekah mentally recited the simple spell that Kol had taught her and when she opened her eyes to see the crowd at the bar dissipating quickly, she knew that she didn't care.

_That was fucking worth it._

"Hm. Looks like everyone left," she said nonchalantly, and April smiled cluelessly as Rebekah nodded forward. "Shall we?"

"_You don't have to ask me twice." _April smiled.

XXXXX

"I'm not sure whether or not this is cool or creepy," Katherine said, as she traced her fingers along the cement wall of the basement, as she and Bonnie walked down the concrete hallway and the sound of their heels echoed against the ground beneath them. "What the hell was this place before it was a frat house?"

"You _don't _want to know," Damon answered over his shoulder, as he led the way with the illumination of his smart phone, and the keys jingled in his other hand. "Some ridiculous Mystic Falls history lesson, is all."

Bonnie shuddered accordingly as she glanced at the walls and the feeling of unease began to rise in her stomach with each step she took.

Why did this place feel so familiar? Why did _everything _feel like something she had known, once before?

"And _this _would be the secret stash," Damon announced, as he walked over to a shelf, and grabbed a bottle of aged whiskey from the top. "The frat house tends to get raided every once in a while, so, while I was president, I made a motion to have this," he gestured, towards the endless supply of liquor. "It's held up pretty well through the years."

Katherine spun around as she gazed at the labels happily before making her way over to a shelf and bottle superficially.

She inspected the brand name, ingredients, and alcohol by volume label before sending Bonnie a smile and Damon a knowing smirk.

This was the good stuff.

"So, you're telling me that the dumbass police force in Mystic Falls has _no _idea this all exists?" Bonnie asked suspiciously. "Bullshit."

"I didn't say that they didn't know," Damon said, as he cracked open the bottle, and then reached into a drawer for three shot glasses that he lined up on a table in front of him. "They absolutely know; they just can't do anything about it. This town makes way too much money off of the drinking habits of college students... Whitmore isn't a bad school, but it's no Ivy League. How do you think meet the enrollment requirements every semester? Everybody knows it's party central. And the town banks on that."

"My type of school," Katherine winked as Damon handed both she and a reluctant Bonnie their shot glasses.

"And your dad, the mayor, is okay with that?" Bonnie asked and Damon sighed as he swirled his shot before looking back up into her eyes.

She didn't know how she'd realized it, but his gaze lost almost entirely all of the light that had been in it before, just at the mere _mention _of his father.

Duly noted.

"I'd prefer if we didn't talk about him," Damon said simply and Katherine raised her glass into the air with a smile the minute she sensed the forthcoming tension.

_She needed to break it up immediately._

"In _that _case, I'd like to propose a toast," she said and Bonnie sighed as she raised her glass as well and listened to Katherine's speech. "To many more moments like these with many more people like _you_, who are arguably the luckiest at the party because you're in _my_ presence."

Katherine threw her shot back and Bonnie still held hers gingerly, as did Damon.

"Profound, Kat," Bonnie said sarcastically and Damon nodded.

"Subtle, too."

Damon turned to Bonnie, who was looking right back at him and he rose his glass without hesitation towards hers. Bonnie swallowed hard but raised hers into the air as well, as she waited for Damon to speak.

"Youmay be _barely _above five feet tall, but you should consider trying out for the football team because you plowed right through me like an outside linebacker," he said and Bonnie's eyes narrowed. "Cheers?"

Bonnie narrowed her eyes as Damon took back his shot, and finally, she did as well.

She gagged at the taste of the liquor as it awakened her senses and breathed in relief that it was over the minute she chased it with her beer.

_Maybe everyone would stop bitching at her tonight, she hoped._

"Round two?" Katherine immediately asked, and Bonnie's eyes bugged. "Don't be a wuss," she sang.

"I think we've put her through enough tonight," Damon said, as Bonnie's eyes met his. "Let's not push our luck," he answered.

Before Katherine could object, Bonnie's cell phone began to ring and she reached into the makeshift sewn pocket that Rebekah blessed her with to pull it out, glancing immediately at the display.

_It was Kol. Thank god._

"Excuse me, I've gotta take this," Bonnie said, as she quickly walked out of the room and pressed the answer key to place her phone to her ear.

Bonnie wandered down the dark hallway—a safe distance from Katherine and Damon—before she breathed out and said a word.

"_Hey."_

"Bonnie, darling—how's it going? How's the first day?" Kol asked in a chipper tone on the other side of the line and Bonnie smiled at the familiarity of his voice before she tucked a strand behind her ear and shrugged.

"I'm at a toga party," she said. "Rebekah and Katherine dragged me here and I couldn't be less amused."

"Why not, love? I'm sure you look stunning," he replied and Bonnie rolled her eyes at that as she toyed with the bottom of her dress. "And I just love it when you wear something a bit tight."

"Don't be a pig," she warned, though a smile masked her face. "…I miss you."

She hated being _that _girl; the one who was all shy and vulnerable on the phone with a guy, but damn't, she couldn't help it. Kol was like _home_ to her, and hearing his voice so desperately reminded her of all that she was missing.

And she missed him; _more than words could even begin to explain._

"As you should," Kol replied with a grin and she snorted almost immediately in response.

"A simple 'I miss you too,' would have sufficed.'"

"I don't want to make you blush in front of your new friends," he replied smoothly. "Speaking of, meet anyone interesting?" he asked and Bonnie's breath almost stopped as her mind flashed to Damon but she cleared her mind almost as quickly.

"What do you mean?" she questioned and Kol laughed.

"I mean how are the people, love? Anyone worth writing home about?"

Bonnie licked her lips before taking another sip and forcing the lingering thoughts out of her head before she responded.

"Not at all," she answered. "Mystic Falls is lame, and all of its people are, too. I honestly don't know how people live here without going insane," Bonnie said.

"Well, it's quite nice to hear that you haven't replaced me, yet. I won't deny that I was a bit worried that you'd get cozy with some lame _human, _and get yourself in trouble with the council," Kol said bluntly, to which she narrowed her eyes.

"Really? You… have _that _little faith in me, Kol?" she asked almost defensively and he scoffed. "And our _relationship?_"

When Kol didn't answer immediately, Bonnie felt the forthcoming of her blood beginning to boil the longer they remained in silence. What the hell was up with everyone questioning her so much today?

" Humans can be… _alluring_," he reasoned slowly. "But you have to remember that they aren't _us_—you need to stay away."

Bonnie's jaw ticked as she clutched her phone even tighter to keep from throwing it, the more Kol's words sunk into her mind. It was honestly making her more and more upset by the minute.

"Did you call to say you missed me, or to lecture me? Because honestly, I don't have time for the latter… and I don't appreciate you basically saying that you don't trust me, Kol."

"I never said anything of the sort, Bonnie. But keep it in mind not to get too close to those _inferiors. _They're all trouble—and I will make it my business to come there and straighten anyone out if I have to… I just want you to be careful."

"And I want you to go to hell," she replied before ending the call and shaking her head.

Her phone rang almost immediately after she hung up, and when she saw his name flashing across the screen, she ignored it. She also placed it on silent before slipping it back into his pocket.

The minute she turned around she yelped in fright when she saw a pair of eyes staring at her from down the hallway, and she clutched her hand to her chest as he approached with a plastic cup in one hand and the other raised, defenselessly.

_It was just Damon; _of course.

"Didn't mean to scare ya," he called, as he cautiously approached and she placed a hand at her hip with stone eyes, "But Katherine ditched me a few minutes ago, and I was wondering if you were ready to go back upstairs," Damon added.

Bonnie breathed in a sigh and nodded as she advanced towards Damon, and his face turned into a frown the minute she came to light. She licked her teeth.

"What?"

"You okay?" he asked simply, as she breathed in and blinked softly, though her body was shaking right now. "You don't _look _okay and one thing I've learned about women is that you should probably watch your back when they have the look in their eyes that you have, right now."

"What _look_?" she asked hastily. "What did you hear, Damon?"

Damon remained quiet as he stared at Bonnie for a long moment and she tapped her foot impatiently as she awaited his response.

But did she honestly even _care _what he heard? It wasn't like his opinion mattered anyway, she realized.

Bonnie walked past swiftly and only stopped when his clear voice broke through the silence. It immediately stopped her in her tracks.

"You look hurt," he said, and she gulped silently though she didn't turn his way. "Like your boyfriend upset you, or something."

"I'm fine," she lied through her teeth. "And even if he did… it wouldn't be any of your business, anyway, Damon. I barely know you."

"You're right—you don't and it's not," he answered, as he took a step in and she felt the beating of her heart increase the minute she felt him standing almost directly behind her. "But you just don't seem like the type of girl who lets a guy get you down… You seem… better than that," Damon let out.

Bonnie spun around to face him and almost lost her breath at just how brilliant those blue eyes were, even in the middle of the stark darkness.

She swallowed hard to wet her throat, before shaking her head and calming her thoughts.

_Her ever-so-racing meditations._

"How do you know what type of _girl _I am?" she asked boldly, as his eyes followed her own. "I don't remember telling you much," Bonnie added and Damon sent her small smirk that aggravated and absorbed her, despite her best attempts to remain unphased by it all.

_She needed to remain unphased by him, too._

"Well, for one," Damon said as he stepped in, and closed a bit more of the space between them, "You think this town is _lame, _and so are all of its people, apparently," he quoted as her eyes widened at the recollection. "Which means, _I _haven't done a good enough job impressing you yet, Bonnie."

Bonnie licked her lips and shrugged her shoulders.

"And you care _why_? I'm just some freshmen who knows no one and doesn't plan on changing that, anytime soon. Why do you care if you impress me?"

"Because I like you," Damon replied and her eyes widened. "In the biblical sense of the word, anyway, Bonnie… I think you're a cool girl—refreshing change from the Mystic Falls usual. And I—I wanna prove you wrong, about me. That is, if you're _brave enough _to give me a chance to."

Bonnie didn't say a word as Damon extended his hand and eyed her so hopefully, she wasn't sure whether or not it'd be she or he who burst first.

Just who the hell was this guy and why did he care about _her _so much? What was his angle?

Bonnie folded her arms over her chest and Damon smiled in expectancy.

_He saw that coming._

"No offense, Damon—but you're a _stranger; _why would I just _go off _with you, not knowing what you're capable of?" she asked and Damon laughed at that before he sipped his drink and furrowed both brows. "How do I know you're not an ax murderer?"

"You don't" he replied. "But if I was… it'd _probably _not be the best idea to be downstairs with me in a sound proof basement all by yourself," he warned to which she stiffened up. "Though I do believe it's very crucial to note that you've been fine for this long, so…"

"So you're waiting to chop me up and stick me in a refrigerator?"

"Don't be so morbid. If anyone should be afraid at this point, it should be _me. _Remember what I said about a woman scorned?" he asked.

Bonnie bit her lip to keep from smiling and Damon immediately caught wind of the twinkle in her eyes and smiled back.

_It honestly felt like victory._

"Fine," she relented. "Let's go—show me something good and maybe I'll change my mind about Mystic Falls," Bonnie added.

Damon nodded in response as he led the way back up the steps and she followed closely behind.

_The quicker they vacated the creepy basement, the better._

"Where are we going?" she shouted over the noise of the crowd, the minute they made their way back upstairs and he handed off the keys to liquor supply, for someone else to get back to Tyler.

He faced her curious eyes the minute they got outside and he smirked.

"Something more of your speed, I think. I promise—you won't regret this," he said.

Bonnie stared into his eyes and inhaled a deep breath, without saying any words as she followed him down the lawn and into the warm fall air that filtered throughout the night.

Honestly? She was probably going to regret this.

XXXX

Stefan swallowed a bit of his drink and he felt a hand pat him on the back almost immediately before he turned around and met the pair of leering eyes.

He sighed before he turned back towards the party and cleared his throat.

"I thought we weren't doing this tonight," he said lowly, before taking another sip of his drink. "Did Giuseppe send you?"

The blonde smiled as their blue eyes shone, and Stefan turned back around to face the party.

"I can handle it myself."

"I don't believe that you can, _mate,_" the blonde said and Stefan rolled his eyes. "You and your pretty little girlfriend—you're _amateurs. _You have no idea what you're up against. You don't have any clue what you're doing."

"And you do?" Stefan asked harshly as he let out a laugh in disbelief. "I mean, I'm sure my father has told you about my record—about how many of them I've _killed _with my _bare hands._ I know everything that I need to know to be able to lead the warriors to the revolution. I may look like a kid and you may think that I'm one too, but I promise—I'm _not _someone that you want to underestimate."

The blonde rolled his eyes before folding both arms over his chest and raising a brow.

"And I bet that you believe that you have _all_ the answers; that you know _all _there is to know about them—about how to _end them, _once and for all—but I can assure you, _Stefan, _that you don't," the visitor replied. "You can't even get your brother to believe in this—in _us. _Your father brought me in because you were already _failing_—"

"Damon will join the cause, soon enough," Stefan said, as he continued to gaze forward, and bit his bottom lip. "It's only a matter of time before he learns what is right; before he learns _everything.._. And I know how break him. I have to."

"And let's hope that you do… You may know all that there is to know about _hunting, _Little Salvatore, but your brother Damon is the _key_—he is the key to it all. It'd perhaps be in your best interest to get to him before _they _do," the visitor replied, as they both looked up at a brunette with bouncy curls who was dancing provocatively across the room; Stefan had already heard about her—_Katherine Pierce_. "It'd also be in your best interest not to fall for _that _one... She'll cause you more trouble than she's worth."

Stefan let out a short laugh before he polished off his drink, turned around, and pressed to cup to the man's chest.

He grinned in response.

"_Niklaus Mikaelson, _is it?" Stefan asked, as their eyes met in a serious stare and the man smiled in return. "You're in _my _town, now. And quite frankly—I don't give a _damn_ what my father told you to do. I can take care of myself… and I will. I _always _do. So I suggest you back the hell off."

Klaus raised both brows with a grin and smirked before he leaned in closer towards Stefan's ear and his accent stole his senses, like a thief in the night.

"_You're here in a toga, Mr. Salvatore; you quite possibly _don't _expect me to take you seriously, do you?"_

Stefan tightened his fists, ready to lash out, when he was suddenly interrupted by a soft hand touching his own. He turned to his right to see Caroline looping their fingers and offering a prodigal smile, though he was sure she sensed trouble from a mile away. She cleared her throat and darted her eyes between he and Niklaus.

"If either of you cause a scene right now, you won't have to worry who's going to be leading the warriors, because _I will _be mopping the floor with your faces after I bash in your teeth," Caroline threatened and their eyes widened. "_Don't _do this here."

Stefan inhaled a deep breath before nodding in dissolution and Niklaus rose both his hands defenselessly as a smirk filtered to his lips and his eyes met hers.

Caroline didn't falter.

"As you prefer, Miss Forbes… Might I add that you look _stunning _tonight; like the actual _Athena, _herself," Klaus said and Caroline pursed her lips before taking in a deep breath.

"I may _look _like Athena, but I'm more like _Gorgo, _so _don't _tempt me," she stated firmly, before letting go of Stefan's hand and adjusting her toga. "_Neither _of you," she added before walking away.

Stefan inhaled silently but didn't say a word as he pushed past Niklaus and the man watched him make his way over towards the bar.

Stefan may have believed that he had everything figured out—everything under _control_—but he didn't. And he was going to find out quicker than sooner that he was in for _much more _than he actually bargained for.

XXXX

"_Have you seen my brother?_"

Tyler Lockwood spun around to meet the steady but anxious green eyes of Stefan Salvatore, as he pressed both of his hands on the bar, and licked his teeth. Tyler placed the top on the drink shaker, and proceeded to prepare it while he racked his memory for the last time he actually _saw _Damon at this party.

"Not for a while, man," Tyler declared, as he poured the margarita in a cup. "I gave him the keys to the stash, Dave brought 'em back, and that was the last I heard of him," he added as Stefan sucked his teeth. "… Is something wrong?"

Stefan remained silent for a second before feigning a grin and shaking his head as Tyler's obsidian eyes pierced his.

"I was just looking for my brother, is all. The bastard had the gall to come to my party and not even hang out with me during it."

"Sounds like Damon," Tyler said and Stefan smiled. "Come to think about it, last I saw him… he was actually with two _girls; _both brunettes and both super _hot, _too."

"Sounds like Damon," Stefan echoed as Tyler slid him a drink and he grabbed it graciously with a nod. "If you see him, Tyler—"

"I know—I'll pass on the good word, man," he said and Stefan shook his head before heading away and Tyler bit his lip.

After Stefan disappeared, he reached into his back pocket and took out his cell phone, quickly starting a text message as he faced away from the bar.

_Something is going down. S.S is plotting. I'll explain lat—_

"Excuse me!" Tyler heard and he looked up from his cell to see a blonde that he had served before tapping the bar and leaning over it as she tried to get his attention. "Can we get some more service over here?"

Tyler sighed as he placed is phone in his pocket and he walked over to the girl who was already visibly drunk, with her empty cup in hand and a lazy smile on her face.

Tyler's eyes met her blue ones and she hiccupped.

_Yup; definitely drunk._

"I'm gonna go out on a whim here and say you've had enough," he replied sharply before she frowned. "You're a freshman, aren't you?"

"And what does _that _matter?" she asked as she attempted to straighten up and he pressed his lips. "You're the bartender—you have to serve me anyway."

"I'm the bartender, sure, but I also like to think that I have this thing called _good judgment _and I say you're done for tonight," he replied, as she rolled her eyes. "Where are your friends?"

The blonde sighed as she shrugged her shoulders flippantly and looked around.

"April left cause she's lame and had to check in with her parents… Bonnie, I have _no idea _where she's gone off to, and Katherine is… probably somewhere dancing. Or getting laid. Or _both—_people call having sex the 'dirty dance' don't they?" she asked and Tyler let out a laugh before he filled a glass with ice water and placed it on the bar.

She squinted her eyes.

"I changed my mind about letting you drink," he winked and her forehead scrunched.

"Is that vodka?"

"Not a chance. But drink it anyway," he said as he held it out towards her and she remained still. "Please? It'll make me feel better if I try to sober you up a little bit."

She sighed before reaching in to grab the glass and her hand landed on Tyler's; immediately delivering him with a resonating feeling deep within his bones that made his eyes widen suddenly.

She didn't seem to feel it at all though, as she didn't acknowledge it; instantly shutting her eyes and gulping down the drink while Tyler remained saucer-eyed all the while.

_He guessed it was the alcohol; it dulled down her senses._

The minute she finished he grabbed her by the wrist and she looked up to meet him slowly. His eyes seemed to be burning through her.

"What are you doing here? It's not safe for you," he said in a low tone and Rebekah's brows knitted as she stared at him.

His brown eyes were almost deepened to black.

"Excuse you?" she asked, yanking her hand away from his. "It's a _party, _and I'm here because I'm pledging a sorority and I wanted to get a leg up… Did Caroline tell you to frighten me into quitting?" she asked suspiciously and Tyler huffed loudly before lowering his voice again.

"I don't know what the _hell _you're talking about, but I know that you need to go. _Now_."

"Or what? Will Caroline sick her team of _Plastics _on me or something?" she asked. "Besides, I'm drunk—"

Rebekah stopped when Tyler's eyes flashed to neon yellow and her mouth immediately went dry. She rubbed her eyes and though the illusion faded, the feeling in her chest didn't.

She gulped slowly.

"I know what you are," he said gently, and her skin tingled as her gaze remained fixed on his. "And if you want to live, I suggest you get the hell out of here, okay?"

Rebekah nodded as she rose from the stool and quickly vacated the bar, as his eyes followed through the crowd and ultimately out of his view.

Tyler rubbed his hand over his mouth to quell his emerging fangs before reaching back into his pocket for his cell phone again.

He deleted the entire message and decided to start anew.

"_They're here," _was all that he wrote.

XXXXX

A/N: Hey everyone! So I set up A LOT of things in this chapter—I hope it wasn't TOO much to digest—but it was all necessary for where the story will be going. What did you think about Katherine's reaction to Bonnie and Damon? Is she just causing trouble or does she know something Bonnie doesn't? What about Rebekah v. Caroline? How do you propose she'll make her life hell? Next, where do you think Damon took Bonnie, what do you think is going to happen to Bonnie/Kol, what the hell were Stefan and Klaus talking about, and just WHO was Tyler talking to? Reviews are love and I thank you all SO MUCH for sticking with me through my writing dry spells. You're all great and I love you. Until next time! xo


	3. Gods and Monsters

**Gods and Monsters**

Katherine laughed happily as she held a half empty bottle of tequila over the mouth of a welcoming party-goer, while she stood atop the bar moving with the beat of the song.

"Who's next?" she asked as she waved the bottle, and dozens of guys lined up to receive a taste from the makeshift shot girl, as she danced in-between servings, or appropriately gulped some alcohol down herself.

If Bonnie was going to preoccupy herself with a stranger and Rebekah was going to try to bribe her way into soro_royalty, _she was going to be the fun one.

She was going to be the _free _one.

"Open up!" Katherine called down, and the blonde tilted his head back to help let the healthy serving glide down his throat with ease. "Perfect," Katherine winked, before placing the bottle to her own lips and shutting her eyes, to feel the euphoria of it all.

She felt perfect; she _looked _even better, as she raised one hand in the air and slowly slid it down the side of her toga, in time with the music.

She didn't need anything or anyone to have a good time; she'd prided herself on that much.

Enjoying herself and getting what she wanted out of life had always been a priority; but looking out for number one had always been her top precedent.

And now that she was in college, things hadn't changed one bit.

"_Hey!_" Katherine heard, and she opened her russet eyes to see _him _standing at the bottom of the bar, with his hands cupped around his mouth so that he could project loudly enough to get her attention.

And he did, alright, as Katherine eyed him up and down, but never stopped dancing.

He moved in a bit closer, and the shift in his gaze highlighted the gleam in his eyes.

"I don't typically let people dance up on the bar," he said, as his forest green eyes inspected her knowingly. "It usually spells trouble."

"Well then, I'm sure you can make an exception, just this once," Katherine purred back and he didn't say anything as Katherine stepped in a bit more and finally knelt down to meet him at eye level.

She moved in a lot closer than she had to, naturally.

"Shot?" she asked, as she waved the bottle. "Or will that get you in trouble, too?" she asked, as she glanced behind him and up at the pretty blonde who was now locked into conversation with a group of surefire sorority _bitches, _as they all laughed demurely and toasted to one another.

She smiled before looking at him again.

He remained patient, but there was the hint of a definite smile behind his eyes that attracted her, completely. Katherine finally sat down on the brink of the bar, letting her heels dangle over the edge and she scooted a little closer, until he was barely a breath away.

_He was so damn close._

"I don't make exceptions," Stefan said clearly, as Katherine cocked her head. "And I don't take shots of tequila."

"Well, that's a shame," Katherine said lowly, as she eyed his muscular arms and shoulders, before setting her eyes back to his face. "A little birdie told me that you were a bit more _open_-minded."

Stefan squinted his eyes, and a look of curiosity filled his face almost instantaneously.

_Hook, line, and sinker._

"And who might that little birdie be?"

"Sorry," Katherine said, as she hopped off of the bar, and stood a breath away from his ear. "I don't snitch on my sources."

As Katherine began to walk away, Stefan grabbed her almost instantly by the wrist and she turned around to look into his eyes again, as the feeling of something _electric _erupted throughout her bones.

She was even more intrigued than before.

_Had he felt it too?_

"I'm Stefan," he introduced, as Katherine licked her teeth. "Stefan Salvatore."

"I know," she replied. "…You're also _taken_."

Katherine began to walk away again, only to be stopped in similar fashion—only this time, his lips met her ear and the feeling in her chest spiked.

_He had to have felt that, too; now she was sure of it._

"Mostly," he replied, to which Katherine raised her brow imaginatively at his blatant behavior with his girlfriend standing no more than a hundred feet way. "Maybe we can discuss it in private."

Katherine looked up into his eyes as he pulled away and she smirked.

She knew it would be easy—but not _this _easy.

She placed a few fingers to his cheek and trailed her fingers down towards the visible skin on his chest and cocked her head. If it were _this _simple to have the King Salvatore wrapped around her fingers, she couldn't _imagine _what else could be hers, if she just asked for it.

But as for the first order or business when it came to Stefan?

_Keeping him on his toes. _

She lifted her fingers away from his hot skin and pursed her red lips before taking a step back. Stefan eyed her scrupulously.

"Or maybe we'll discuss it when I have the time," she said, as his brows knitted and she took another swig from the bottle, staring him down all the while she gulped it down. "Maybe we're gonna do this on _my _terms," Katherine added before she spun around and walked away.

Stefan didn't say a word as he watched her immediately rejoining the party; brown curls in a flurry as she danced to the music and a handful of guys in a daze as she flirted with each and every single of them, directly within his view.

Stefan didn't move away as he watched her pull a guy in by tail-end of his toga and kiss him strongly before she pulled away and he read her lips from afar; his hand in hers.

_Let's go somewhere._

The guy nodded eagerly as the minx led him out the party confidently and Stefan bit his bottom lip while he watched them walk away.

Katherine never even gazed his direction, again.

XXXX

"So, _this _is the joint that you were bragging about the entire car ride here?" Bonnie asked, as she walked into the place and glanced around at the dull surroundings. "What is this, even? Is it a bar, a restaurant—"

"A grill. The _Mystic Grill, _just like it says on the outside," Damon replied, as they walked towards a table and she continued to survey everything. "And it's my favorite place in town."

"Really? Of _all _the places we passed?" she asked incredulously. "Why this one?"

"The jukebox," he answered honestly, before placing both hands on her chair and pulling out. "And the cheese fries," he winked. "They are to _die _for."

Bonnie's brows furrowed as she looked down at the chair and then back up at Damon as he waited for her to sit down. She inhaled deeply before saying a word.

"You're pulling out my chair?"

"Yeah, so?... Do you have something against men with manners, Bonnie?" he retorted and her eyes narrowed. "I opened your car door and I thought you were going to beat my ass. What is the big deal if I act like the gentlemen my mother taught me to be?"

Bonnie folded her arms over her chest and licked her teeth as she looked into his wide blue eyes.

_He was being completely serious._

"Guys want things when they're being nice."

Damon scoffed as he stared at her and cocked his head. Bonnie's stance never weakened.

"Or maybe they're just being… nice?" he asked and she rolled her eyes. "Why are you so skeptical of me?" Damon asked bluntly.

"You're right—I am _skeptical_, Damon. I just don't know you—"

"And you will, in due time, if you take a seat," he offered and she bit her lip. "Please."

Bonnie inhaled before finally sitting down and Damon crossed the table to sit across from her, while she folded her hands almost immediately.

"I'm glad you're sitting now," he said sarcastically and Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"Bite me. Seriously."

And here, he thought his _actual _job was hard enough. Why the hell did he care so much about being friends with this girl, anyway?

_Damon's thoughts immediately flashed to earlier that day when they touched; when her hands made him _feel something _that he had never felt before—that he craved to feel once more._

_He wasn't quite sure if he call could this an addiction so quickly, but he would call it intrigue. He was captivated by Bonnie Bennett and he hoped his inquisitiveness—his innate desire to get to know who she _really was_—wouldn't stab him in the back._

_He had always been aware that curiosity is what killed the cat._

When Bonnie looked up and caught herself staring at him for longer than she preferred, she cleared her throat and opened a menu.

If he was going to subject her to this nonsense, she might as well eat.

"How are the milkshakes?" Bonnie asked, as her eyes glanced over 42 flavor options. "Would you go with Passion Fruit or Peanut Butter Crunch?"

"Go with the Marshmallow and Cookie Lovers Blast," he said. "It'll probably put you into a diabetic coma, but I promise it's worth it," he added.

Bonnie snorted as she read the description to the most outrageous shake on the menu before meeting his eyes.

"A diabetic coma is my reward for agreeing to come here with you? That's heartwarming."

"Isn't it?" he grinned and she didn't respond to that as the waitress swiftly came over and took their orders before disappearing just as quickly to fill them.

Bonnie took a sip of her water and she couldn't help but notice the burning feeling against her skin—as if she was being _watched_—before she looked up and met Damon in a silent gaze that stirred her stomach and quite possibly each and every single one of her fears.

She shifted in her seat and cleared her throat.

She was happy to know that she wasn't the only one with a staring problem between the two.

"What?" she asked.

Damon let out a breath and shrugged his shoulders.

_This girl was as tough as nails, it seemed._

"I'm just… happy that you decided to come here with me. It's obvious that you hated that party and if we're honest, I kind of did too."

Bonnie tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear and pursed her lips.

"Yeah well… we're both just here out of necessity. It's not like this is a date or anything."

"I never said it was," Damon replied when her fingers tapped the table slowly. "Why would you think that _I _think that? We barely know each other."

"Because guys _expect things_," she said, echoing her words from before. "One 'hangout' and suddenly they think that they've earned something."

Damon ran his tongue across his teeth and narrowed his eyes.

"Kind of like your boyfriend that you were yelling at on the phone before?" he asked as she inhaled a breath. "You're mad at him because he _expects things_."

"I'm mad at him because he's an ass," she said plainly.

"Well, that's no fair," Damon chimed in, as he folded his hands and raised both brows. "We're _all _asses. I think you should cut him a little slack, maybe."

Bonnie didn't respond to that because she knew he was sort of right. She'd flipped out on Kol perhaps a _tad _more than she should have when logically, he was _right. _She _was _hanging out with a human and he was just trying to warn her of the consequences of that.

Kol was just trying to protect her.

And though she hated his father figure way of doing it, she had been grateful for it. Listening to Kol kept her out of a lot trouble and he, specifically, shielded her from harm any chance that he got.

She'd apologize to him for getting so angry—eventually. For now, she'd let him sweat it out. It was a routine tactic of their relationship anyway.

Besides—she had a milkshake on the way to devour.

"You don't even know him and you're taking his side," Bonnie answered as she finally looked up. "What makes you so sure he deserves a second shot?" she asked.

Damon sat up a bit in his seat and she observed the way the lights above them made his raven hair shine and his blue eyes sparkle.

"Because any man that can handle _you _is probably a saint," he winked as Bonnie scoffed.

Before she could reply, the waitress was back with their orders and she sighed as she glanced at the gigantic milkshake that was placed before; dripping in chocolate and marshmallow goodness, with chocolate chip cookies cut into bits and sprinkled on top.

It looked mouthwatering and tasted even better, as she took a sip and let the warm cookies melt into her mouth. Damon inwardly smirked at the look of satisfaction on her face but he didn't say a word. Maybe he actually knew what he was talking about, she deducted.

"So, where are you from?" Damon asked casually, before popping a cheese fry into his mouth. "You've got a bit of an accent."

"No I don't," she replied. "Where do I sound like I'm from?"

"Northeast, for sure," Damon guessed correctly. "Not new York, but close?" he asked and she shook her head.

"Massachusetts. Salem, to be exact."

"Ah," Damon nodded at that. "Famous for the witch trials and all that jazz," he noted and she swallowed hard. "Know any witches?"

"Witches don't exist," she said immediately, before taking another sip and clearing her throat. "Do you… actually believe in that sort of stuff?" she questioned and Damon snorted.

"No way," he answered and she breathed internally with relief. "But this town, apparently, used to be really big into the whole _anti-witch _culture in the 1600s, around the time of the trials. Because, you know, between the massacre of the Natives and the slavery, Virginia needed _more _reasons to be… awful," he settled with as he bit his lip.

Bonnie didn't say a word as she took another sip and Damon let out a sigh before he spoke again.

"I don't mean to be so _blunt _with my words and thoughts. If I say something that makes you uncomfortable—"

"It's not uncomfortable," she cut in with a shake of her head. "It's just… interesting and sort of… relieving to meet someone who doesn't sugarcoat things," Bonnie added and Damon nodded. "I take it that you teach history?"

"Not a chance," he replied before chewing on another fry. "I'm just moved by it; and I think it's important, so we don't make the same mistakes, again. I think it's something to pay attention to."

"I agree," she said much to his surprise. "History is important."

There was a long silence between the two as they both worked on their orders and Bonnie took the time to let her mind take in the calm but cool atmosphere of the Mystic Grill as it appear before her.

There were a few people playing pool, others taking shots at the bar and some taking aim at the dart board in the corner, shrilling with victory when they hit their targets.

All in all, it was actually a cool place; definitely reminiscent of the places she hung out at back home in Massachusetts.

_Absolutely the type of place she could see herself working at part-time for some extra cash._

"So, do you think they're hiring here?" Bonnie asked bluntly as she swirled her straw and Damon looked up to meet her stare. "I kind of need a job and this place kind of seems perfect."

Damon offered a grin and Bonnie immediately regretted asking for his advice the minute the words rolled past her lips.

She knew she should have waited for another time.

"So you like this little hole-in-the-wall, huh?" he taunted as he moved in closer. "Are you ready to admit that I might actually be sort of cool for turning you on to this place?"

"You haven't turned me on," she said starkly before clearing her throat. "To anything. You haven't turned me on to _anything_."

Well, that sounded pretty bad.

Damon smiled and raised a hand lightly, and Bonnie watched as a waiter with ridiculously beautiful blue eyes and honey flavored blonde hair made his way over with ease. He already had his notepad opened when he stood before the table and glanced between the two. He offered a quaint smile.

His name tag read _Matt._

"What else can I get you two? Kylie's shift ended ten minutes ago; I'll be taking care of you the rest of the night,"

"We don't need any food, Donovan," Damon said. "I was actually wondering if you could get my friend Bonnie here a _job _application… She's looking for something flexible around her classes at Whitmore… She's a freshman."

Matt turned to Bonnie appropriately and all she could do was nod in response. Damon was right, after all.

"It's okay if you don't or you're not hiring. It was just a thought, really—"

"I can get you an application right now," Matt said, with bright eyes before she finished speaking. "We're always looking for some help… And as long as you can be nice, I think you'd be great."

"Well, she might have to work on _that _part," Damon joked and he contained a small howl when Bonnie subtlety kicked him beneath the table. "But I agree—I think she'd be… awesome."

Bonnie chewed her bottom lip and looked between Damon and Matt's glances, before finally nodding her head and smiling as well.

She might as well give this a shot, right?

"I'll be right back with that application then," Matt said and Damon nodded.

"And the bill too, please, thanks."

Matt bowed in agreement before taking off, and Bonnie turned to face Damon as he was already reaching into his pocket and placing enough money on the table to cover their bill and _then _some. Her eyes bugged a little bit.

"I told you this wasn't a date," she said, reaching into her pocket for some cash. "You don't have to pay for everything—"

"But I want to, so let me," Damon said as her brows knitted. "Besides… if you go into sugar shock because of that big ass shake, then I honestly won't feel so bad knowing that it came out of my pocket instead of yours."

Bonnie bit back a grin and Damon did as well, as Matt made his way back over to the table with the paper for her and the bill for him. Damon handed him the cash and Matt nodded graciously as the two stood up from their seats and Bonnie smiled his way.

"I'll have this ready tomorrow," she said.

"Take your time, and good luck," Matt replied. "Have a good night, you two."

"Same to you," Damon answered, before they walked out and back to his powder blue Chevy Camaro.

Bonnie immediately became engrossed by the questions on the application as he drove and the two sat in silence for a few minutes before he finally asked her where her dorm was.

"I'm at the _Chelsea Quad,_" she said, remembering the building from earlier, as Damon pulled onto the grounds. "The one _all _the way on the left—"

"I go here, Bonnie, I know," he said and she bit her lip as he pulled into the dorm area and stopped right before the door, putting his car in park.

Bonnie took a deep breath in when he turned to face her.

"Got your key?" he asked and she waved it in the air in front of him for good measure. "Need me to walk you up?"

"No I don't," she said as she rolled her eyes. "Last thing I need is you knowing where my _room _is. It's bad enough I hung out with you all night."

Damon remained quiet at that for a second and she looked at the dashboard just to evade his eyes.

There was just something about him that was so _intense._

"Did you at least have fun tonight? Be honest," he said so softly, she almost didn't hear a word that he said.

Bonnie exhaled and nodded reluctantly, forcing her lips _not _to form into a grin.

"If I say yes, are you gonna haunt me forever about it?" she asked.

Damon smiled as he moved in closer and his eyes studied hers.

"That depends… _Will I see you again?"_

Bonnie swallowed hard at that and turned back towards the dashboard.

The answer was _no; _or _should _have been, at least, because she had a boyfriend and going out with strangers while you were in a committed relationship was _not _okay.

And it _definitely _wasn't okay when you begrudgingly found said _stranger _to be _really_ _attractive—_and not only on the physical level, but the _mental plane_, as well.

All of this was just super _exhausting _to think about; especially on her first night of college.

Bonnie's hand reached the handle and she shrugged lightly as she faced him again. His eyes remained fixed on hers all the while.

"It wasn't a date," she reaffirmed, before opening her door and finally stepping out. "_Goodnight, Damon,_" Bonnie added before slamming it.

Damon silently watched her walk away and into the building, without offering him another glance or look to hold him over through the night.

When he looked down to place his hand on the gear to shift the car into drive, he noticed something green sitting in the ashtray; rolled up into a tight cylinder and situated atop the coin that he stashed there.

Damon reached forward for it and unraveled the five dollar bill; a small grin surfacing on his face once he realized who left it there and why. She really meant what she said, didn't she?

"It wasn't a date, Damon," he said to himself before finally pressing onto the brake and putting the car in drive; exiting the parking lot and easily disappearing off into the night.

_But oh, how he wished it had been._

XXXXX

"_Boo_," Bonnie heard, and she turned around from her pot of coffee the following morning, to see Katherine walking in, with her silk purple robe tied at the waist, and her long brown curls in a messy bun atop her head. "What are you doing up so early?"

Bonnie shrugged as she reached for another mug and poured Katherine a serving, before reaching into the refrigerator and grabbing the milk.

"Nothing really—I was up and bored. And a little hungry… I googled a Whole Foods that's right in town, and considering the fact that we literally _just _have milk, I was thinking I'd take a trip… Wanna come?"

Katherine contemplated for a second and then nodded in agreement after sipping her drink and placing a hand on her hip. If there was one thing Katherine was always down for, it was a trip to Whole Foods.

She was just a _tad _mildly obsessive about her breads, fruit, and vegetables.

It was still one of those things that Bonnie had yet to process that her devil reincarnate best friend had enough of a soul to actually be borderline _vegan. _

The world had truly seen everything.

"Yeah, just let me get rid of this guy, take a shower, and I'll be all set," she said lazily as Bonnie's eyes widened and she cocked her head. "What?"

"There's a _guy _here?" Bonnie whispered furiously, as she adjusted her shorts and shook her head. "You brought one back?"

"Obviously. What, with Rebekah all holed up in her room since last night—_probably _because that sorority bitch gave her the time from Hell—and _you _missing until like 2 AM, I had to keep myself preoccupied," she winked as Bonnie groaned. "Where _were _you, anyway?"

Bonnie gulped down her coffee and drummed her fingers against the countertop as they stared at one another.

Did she _really _want to tell Katherine this? Absolutely not. But would she find out anyway?

Yes. She _always _did. Don't ask how.

"I was… with Damon," Bonnie said carefully and a smirk formed at Katherine's lips. "It wasn't like _that_," she quickly added. "We just caught a bite to eat and talked for a bit."

"Mmm, and with your _phone off_?" Katherine asked, as Bonnie's brows rose. "Don't worry—I told Kol that it died. He called me about twenty times to ask where you were."

Bonnie licked her lips nervously and folded her arms.

"What did you say?"

"I told him you were with me. I covered, obviously. Do you even know how badly your boyfriend would _freak out _if he knew you went on a date with another guy? He'd be on the first flight here from California to stab Damon in the throat."

"It wasn't a date, okay?" Bonnie nearly screamed, before lowering her voice again. "He didn't try any moves and he literally brought me home _right after _it happened… I don't even consider him a friend. Damon is… _nothing_," Bonnie added.

Katherine watched on in silence as Bonnie chugged the rest of her coffee and reached for the pot to pour another. Her olive eyes were looking at Katherine's directly.

"Whatever you say, doll," Katherine raised one hand dismissively as she slowly began to walk out of the kitchen. "But I know what I saw last night—and I know that this isn't just another _guy _who's trying to ease his way in while you have a boyfriend… You're attracted to him, in all his mysterious glory. The signs are all there."

Bonnie licked her teeth and huffed. She seriously did _not _need this, this _early._

"Is that why you were _so_ pushy last night?" she asked bluntly as Katherine stopped in her tracks. "You were acting like someone who was getting _paid _to make me and Damon talk to each other."

"Or I was acting like a _friend _who's sick and tired of seeing you act so prim and proper and _complacent _in this little _shell _that you've created for yourself," Katherine said firmly as Bonnie stiffened up. "You're 'with Kol' and that's fine and all, but it doesn't mean that you have to stop living _your own_ life just because he's not around. And Damon? He seems like fun guy—one who might actually make you walk out of your comfort zone; one who won't act like so much of a _dad._"

"Kol is just looking out for me," Bonnie said with a shake of her head. "And yeah, he might get a little _protective _at times—"

"Puppies need protecting," Katherine said sharply as she sipped her coffee and met her eyes. "You are a _bad ass_ _witch_ with powers stronger than _his _and _any _warlock you've ever met… I think it's time you stop being afraid of having some fun because _clearly, _you can look out for yourself."

Bonnie didn't say another word as Katherine exited the kitchen and she ticked her jaw.

No more than a few minutes later, she heard the shower in the bathroom beginning to run and she watched as a nameless guy in a now messy toga flashed a hungover smile before letting himself out of their dorm.

Bonnie rolled her eyes in response as she continued to sip her coffee and think about Katherine's words all the while.

Had she really been afraid of stepping out of her comfort zone because she was so invested in Kol? And wasn't she _right _to be, anyway?

It wasn't like she could actually _date _a human anyway, and what Katherine had done last night by bringing one back here was completely against everything they had been taught while growing up.

And she couldn't just _betray _those rules _or _Kol because Katherine thought she needed to have some fun. She couldn't let go of everything she had learned, for the sake of "breaking out of her shell."

She was fine in her shell and she was fine with Kol—what else did it matter if Katherine didn't approve of the way she was or wasn't living her life?

Bonnie huffed lightly and looked up as Rebekah came into the kitchen, finally—already dressed and ready for the day, but with sullen blue eyes, as she made her way to the coffee pot and poured a cup.

She didn't say anything as she walked past Bonnie and the witch furrowed her brows before clearing her throat.

The blonde finally looked her way.

"Hey, good morning," Bonnie said as she looked in her pale blue eyes and noticed the lack of—well—_everything, _behind them. "What happened to you?"

Rebekah breathed in a deep sigh and offered a feigned smile as she shook her head.

"Nothing; everything's great. I'm just… hungover," she replied before sipping her coffee and swallowing hard.

Bonnie moved in a bit closer and observed her; the gentle shaking in her fingers and the lost gleam in her eye and her stomach turned.

What had _really _happened to Rebekah? And why was she lying about it?

"Rebekah, is something wrong? D-Did something happen last night at the party?" she questioned, and the girl paused for a moment as her thoughts flashed back to the stranger—the bartender with the obsidian eyes that flashed to gold—and she immediately dropped her mug on the ground; only awakening from her thoughts when she saw Bonnie jump back and the mixture of shattered ceramic and coffee went everywhere.

Rebekah breathed heavily as she grabbed a towel to clean it up and Bonnie leaned in to help but she stopped her.

"I've got it. I don't want you to get cut," Rebekah said. "You should get out of the kitchen."

Bonnie nodded silently before sending Rebekah one last glance ad then making her way out and to her bedroom.

Rebekah stared down at the mess in a bit of a daze as _his _words echoed in her mind again, and she shut her eyes the minute they began to overtake and overwhelm her.

"_I know what you are,"_ he said.

When her eyes fluttered open, she felt a spike in chest as she glanced down at the ground and realized that the mess was completely gone. She also noticed the unknowing tingle in her fingers as she realized she must have just used her _magic _to do this and she felt even more fearful than before because she hadn't completely been in control of it.

Rebekah stood to her feet and tossed the unused towel away; swallowing hard before she grabbed her bag from the counter and easily slung it over her shoulder.

Whoever he was from last night, she needed to find him.

_She needed to know what he knew._

XXXXX

"_Damon, Damon, Damon… I must say, this is quite the surprise seeing you here," _he heard before he turned around to see the man before him approaching, with a glass in hand that he prudently raised to his lips. "I was beginning to think I'd go _millennia _before seeing my oldest son, again," he said.

Damon didn't smile in return as he reached up into the shelf before him in the grand library of his father's home, and took another book down; quickly scanning the words before throwing it into a pile on the ground and moving onto the next one.

Damon's eyes finally looked in Giuseppe Salvatore's direction.

"It isn't by choice," he said harshly, before tossing another book and tilting his head. "Moving out is a process—especially when you've left half of your reading material where you _don't _live anymore, but I'll get the hang of it… I'll be out of your hair _completely._"

Giuseppe remained silent as he moved in closer; just watching Damon sifting through the library at a quickened pace now that he was in his presence. The maid had alerted him two hours ago that his son was here, rifling through his literature like a modern-day cat burglar but Giuseppe took his time coming here.

He knew his son was an intellectual therefore, his book collection was massive. This was going to take him a while. He had all the time in the world to come and talk to him.

And catching Damon on the tail-end of one of his visits was probably a better thing; he'd presumed that he had two hours to simmer down.

_At least he hoped he had, anyway._

"I don't want you out of my hair, Damon," his father finally said, as he took a seat on the leather couch and took another sip of his scotch. "That was your decision to leave me. And it'll be your decision to come back," Giuseppe added.

Damon scoffed lightly before finally turning around and shaking his head. His father's gaze never lessened.

"Because I would wanna live here with you and Pearl and her daughter Anna Belle, like some big ol' happy family, right Dad?" Damon questioned. "Lord only knows how you've brainwashed Stefan into thinking it's okay that you and mom ended about two months ago and you're already planning a wedding."

"Maybe your brother is a bit more open-minded than you are, Damon," his father said as he rolled his eyes. "He understands the idea of simply _moving on _when you aren't happy… Stefan is like me—we don't cling onto what isn't still there."

Damon swallowed hard at that but didn't offer his father another glance. He was honestly sick and tired of this conversation. And the sooner he got out of here, the better.

"How's McKayla?" his father asked and Damon shook his head at that.

_She was still one of those things that he needed to let go, to be honest._

"Fine," he said simply. "She's fine."

"So, she'll be finishing up her Masters here with you?" his father questioned. "Like you two had planned?"

"You know, you could always call her yourself and ask," Damon replied suddenly, as he piled the books into a box and hoisted it into his hands. "Or—I don't know—have your _people _follow her around Europe like they have been… That's how we do things in this family, right? We _stalk _people?"

Giuseppe didn't say a thing as Damon made his way past him, but his voice stopped him the minute he was at the door. Damon still didn't turn in his direction.

"It's for her protection, Damon. Her parents and I saw no other options when she just took off in the middle of the night, without a word or a trace. Not after what's happened to some of the other members of the founding families."

Damon bit his lip as he recalled the string of "accidents" that had taken the lives of many people that he had known growing up; _all _a part of the five families that had "founded" Mystic Falls. The Salvatores, The Forbes, The Young's, The Gilberts, and—_Mckayla's family_—The Houston's; they had all victim to death threats at some point or another and though Damon regarded this more to the fact that they were all people of influence in the state of Virginia. Giuseppe was the mayor, Caroline's parents—Bill and Liz Forbes—were the county prosecutor and sheriff, Father Young was the town pastor, Grayson and Miranda Gilbert were both the top doctors in the state and George Houston was the governor. It wasn't unexpected that these people would all have hits put out on them at some point or another when weren't going well or the people were sour and he completely expected that.

But then, Elena Gilbert happened.

Elena had been an old friend of both Stefan and Damon's growing up who had tragically died in a hit-and-run one day, when the girl was walking home from class. No suspects were ever recovered—there wasn't even any _proof_—other than her dead body lying in the middle of the road and it had remained one of the town's greater mysteries since it happened two years ago.

Since then, Caroline Forbes had been in a near-fatal house fire that she barely escaped, Bill Young had been almost lethally poisoned, and Giuseppe, himself, had revealed occurrences of feeling as though he were being watched.

It was then that McKayla decided to take off, and though everyone in the families believed it was because she was afraid she'd be next, Damon knew better.

She left because of _him. _She didn't exactly believe in these things any more than he did, but she _did _know that she was unhappy within the confines of Mystic Falls _and _their relationship, so she fled.

Just like that, with five years now down the drain.

And despite knowing that she was alive and well—and apparently living in Amsterdam—Damon hadn't heard from her at all. He tried his best to keep in touch the minute she'd gone, but no avail.

McKayla wanted nothing to do with him or her old life anymore, and though a part of him resented her for that, he also understood it.

But that didn't mean that it hurt any less.

"Keep her safe all you want—doesn't mean that she's coming back," Damon said finally as he began to walk out. "Maybe she and mom and everybody else who leaves this place has the right idea—maybe we should _all _leave—"

"I will not leave my home," Giuseppe said sternly, before taking another sip of his scotch and licking his teeth. "Something has already been orchestrated to ensure that we will _never _have to live in fear, again. And if you might find yourself at _one _meeting of the Founders Council, perhaps you'll join the cause… You can learn to protect yourself."

Damon turned around to face his father one last time and his blue eyes shone as he stared at him from a distance; taking in the heat of his gaze and seriousness in his words before he snorted and shook his head.

"_I think I'll take my chances,"_ he replied, before finally walking out.

XXXXX

"What _is _this place?" Katherine asked, as she pulled up to the restaurant off of Main Street and threw the car in park as Bonnie sighed and grabbed her bag out of the backseat.

"The _Mystic Grill,_" she said as Katherine's brows knitted. "I got an application for a job here yesterday, and I have to drop it off," she replied.

"_You're _getting a job?" Katherine asked incredulously as she tilted her head. "Do your parents know?"

"What does it matter?" Bonnie asked hotly, already knowing Rudy and Abby's reactions to her working.

Especially as a _waitress._

"I'm just saying… Didn't they want you to focus on your _grades _and on your _magic? _I don't think you'll have enough time to work, in between that," Katherine said and Bonnie exhaled.

"I'll have plenty of time, okay? I'll manage. I just—need to do something, for myself and on my own… Didn't you lecture me about that this morning? I'm taking your advice. I'll be right back," she said as she opened her door and Katherine offered a grin.

"Fine, but don't take long. I've got my _Stonyfield _Ice Cream back here, and if it melts I definitely won't be a happy camper."

"It won't take long," Bonnie promised as she slammed the door and trotted off to the entrance of the Mystic Grill—noting just how different the place actually looked during the day as opposed to the night.

It was quieter, with a definite shift in the people and dynamic, as senior citizens and families of four occupied the tables, instead of college kids her age.

She just hoped Matt would be working, so she wouldn't have to hand her application off to anybody else. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him behind the bar cleaning glasses and he noticed her immediately, as he looked up and offered a friendly wave.

Bonnie smiled in return.

"That was fast," he said, as she handed the application to him, and his bluer-than-blue eyes scanned her responses on the sheet of paper. "I'm guessing the questions weren't too hard?"

Bonnie shook her head with a grin.

"They weren't _that _bad. Though, I did get kind of stuck on the one where they ask you to list your work experience, considering the fact that I have… none," she said shyly. "I hope it doesn't ruin my chances," she said.

Matt smiled when he folded the paper and put it in the front pocket of his black apron. Bonnie nervously bit her lip.

"I think you'll be fine tomorrow night," he said confidently, as her eyes widened and she studied his gaze. "A few tables and you'll learn the ropes in no time. It's not rocket science."

Bonnie let out a short laugh as a smile spread to her lips and she bit a nail. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

"How does a 4-11 sound?" Matt asked as he whipped out a cloth and cleaned the countertop. "We have a band playing tomorrow night at 8 and I figure four hours will be enough to get you acquainted with The Grill, menu, and how things work," he added.

"Really?" she asked in disbelief. "So, I'm hired—just like that? No interview, no sit-down, no paperwork? You just… trust me, that much?"

Matt shrugged as he looked up into her olive eyes and offered a smirk.

"Someone I know vouched for you," he said, as her brows instantly furrowed. "He told me all that I needed to know about you and I think that you'll be a perfect fit here, based off of what he said."

Bonnie scoffed internally at that as she folded her arms; immediately knowing who the source must have been.

_Damon Salvatore, of course._

"And what did Damon say?" she asked straightforwardly, as Matt lined a few glasses and met her eyes. "Because it was _him_, right?"

"Could have been… Why don't you ask him yourself?" Matt nodded, and Bonnie turned around to see Damon sitting alone at a table in the corner, with his iPod on a plethora of books and papers spread out before him.

Bonnie's lips pursed as her hands found her way to her hips, and Matt's voice cut into her thoughts again before she could make a beeline for the bastard.

"I'll have your paperwork and uniform ready tomorrow. So don't be late," he said as she nodded in understanding, before he walked off. "Later, Bonnie."

"Later," she said, after Matt had already disappeared, and she inhaled a deep breath before making her way over to Damon's table and pulling an ear bud out of his ear.

Damon immediately looked up to meet her stern gaze, and he paused the music playing on his iPod to offer her a cool smile.

She wanted to punch him.

"You got me a job here? Really?" she asked, with folded arms across her chest as she slid into the booth and eyed him madly. "What did you say to him?"

Damon straightened up in his seat and tried to stifle the smirk that was forming at his lips as Bonnie's eyes filled with questionable rage. This girl really did not like being done any favors, did she?

"Relax, I just told him that you were a good friend of mine and I'd really appreciate it if he could get you in. I didn't say anything _bad_—"

"You also didn't say anything _true_; we're _not _friends," Bonnie said sharply and Damon let out a long whistle.

"That's cold," he said with feigned disappointment and she rolled her eyes. "I just wanted to help. That's all."

"But why? Why did you _have _to do anything? I could have gotten this job on my own."

Damon shifted a bit in his seat before he looked up into her eyes and her heart stopped for a second.

He _really _needed to stop doing that.

"Because my pride got in the way," he admitted as her brow rose. "And _you _didn't let me pay for our little… _outing _last night, so I was bitter. I was sticking it to the man… The _woman,_" he corrected as she rolled her eyes. "You've gotta give me points for being relentless, right?"

Bonnie tapped her foot anxiously beneath the table as they stared at each other for a moment, before she shook her head.

She wasn't giving him points for anything.

"What are you doing anyway?" she changed the subject as she glanced down at all the books before him. "You teach _English, _don't you?"

Damon smiled as he shook his head no, though it was the appropriate deduction to be made from the materials sprawled out in front of him. He drummed his fingers against a cover quietly.

"I just like to read. Words mean a lot to me," Damon said, as his fingers grazed the cover of a leather bound book before he looked at her again. "And I'm helping a friend make his first lesson plan. Something you crazy kids would be interested in reading, during a Freshman Lit. class," he said.

Bonnie slid one book in her own direction and glanced at the title.

_Romeo and Juliet._

"Really?" she asked as she held that one up and stared at him with firm eyes. "I read this one in high school. Probably even in _middle school_," she said.

"You read it, but did you _understand it_?" he asked and she snorted. "It's impossible to really appreciate what Shakespeare was trying to say when you're eight years old," he said and Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"_Romeo and Juliet _was about a dumb couple of teenagers who got a little overzealous in their '_love' _for one another, and both behaved in incredibly _stupid _ways—_especially Romeo_—when all they needed to do was just…wait," she said as Damon sat up a bit straighter and met her eyes.

"So, you don't think they were actually in love?" he asked and she shook her head.

"Not a chance. They were both just tragic, and young, and horny," Bonnie replied simply and Damon let out a small laugh as he took the book out of her hands and his fingers accidentally brushed against her own.

She did her best to ignore the sudden flush of heat that crossed her face when their fingers touched, though she was sure Damon had no intentions of ignoring it as he looked her directly in the eyes.

She pressed her lips together firmly.

"But isn't there something _poetic _about how _doomed _it all was?" Damon asked, as her stare followed his and she took in another deep breath. "The fact that… their _'love' _or whatever you wanna call it sprung from a place of _hate_? And not exactly for _each other, _but their families? It was…doomed from the start, but they went for it anyway… They _anticipated _that the worst would happen. Juliet even compares her feelings for him to _death_."

Bonnie remained silent as she let the words sink into her thoughts further and further.

She cleared her throat before speaking again.

"Her feelings for Romeo got her killed. They both died for no reason."

"They died because they were loyal to their _love_," Damon replied, without a hint of wavering. "Their love for one another was stupid, yes, but it was _powerful—_it transcended across _everything _that society told them that they _weren't _supposed to feel for each other. It's just… _doomed_," he said with a softer tone.

Bonnie didn't reply to that as Damon cleared his throat and finally broke the tension.

"Besides—it was stupid _and _ridiculous enough that _you _still have to read about it, so stop whining," he winked as Bonnie offered a groan before her phone began to ring.

When she reached into her pocket and saw Katherine's name flashing across the screen, she almost cursed aloud.

She _totally _forgot she had been waiting outside this entire time.

"I—"Bonnie began, as she looked into Damon's eyes and she cleared her throat; stopping the rest of her speech about having to leave. "I have to get this, I'll be right back."

Damon nodded in response as Bonnie rose to her feet and walked off a safe distance away from the table before answering. She let out an apologetic breath before even speaking.

"I'm sorry—I got tied up," she said and Katherine made a swallowing noise in response, as she opted for speaking with her mouth still full.

"Don't worry—I saved the ice cream. It's in my mouth right now, she said, as Bonnie smiled and shook her head. "Should I wait or head home? I can come back and get you later if this will be a while."

Bonnie glanced over at Damon, who was flipping through the pages of another book and taking notes on it on a neon-colored index card. He was seriously going _all out. _She had to stay for this.

"I'm gonna be a bit," Bonnie said softly as she exhaled. "I'll be fine—don't worry. I'll call you if anything."

"Okay, whatever you say Miss Bennett. Talk to you later," Katherine said between bites and Bonnie said her goodbye before hanging up and stuffing her phone back into her pocket.

She made her way back into the booth and Damon was just finishing up the card, before he stuck it in between a few pages as a bookmark and met her eyes.

She folded her hands in response.

"So, I take it you're keeping me company?" he asked and Bonnie reluctantly nodded as she eyed the spread of books before him and cocked her head.

"_Or _I want to get a leg up on the competition and get a head start on what I'll be forced to be doing this semester," she said.

Damon smiled before holding up another book and waving it her way. Bonnie studied the cover.

"_Beowulf," _he said as she sneered a bit and Damon shook his head. "I actually hate this one, but it's essential. That said though, you probably won't enjoy it."

"Thanks for the heads up," she said, as he raised his hand and a waitress made her way over. "Any tips on how to get through it?"

"Probably through cheese fries and shakes," he said with a smile, as his eyes glimmered. "And don't worry—I'll keep it in mind that this _isn't _a date."

Bonnie ran her tongue across her teeth before finally nodding and sitting up straighter; taking in his stare all the while.

"_Just as long as you know."_

XXXXX

Rebekah stuffed her hands into her pockets, as she walked silently down the corridor, leading the way to the student lounge that she'd quickly looked up before on her map just moments before.

When she walked in, she breathed in slowly as her eyes scanned the massive space that was filled with people just hanging out before they finally stopped on _him; _the guy with the dark hair and dark eyes from the night before at the frat party.

Only, he wasn't alone this time, as he sat across from a muscular guy with light brown hair and eyes and a girl with long brown hair and greenish-hazel eyes. The girl was holding a hot chocolate in both hands as she listened to the bartender speaking, and the other guy was laughing heartily as the words passed his lips.

_Well, at least they looked friendly, Rebekah reasoned._

She walked over confidently, though she felt anything but, and the minute she stood before them, the three pairs of eyes darted towards her at the _exact _same time.

_Creepy._

"Hey," she said as she looked towards his friends and offered a slight nod. "I'm Rebekah… Rebekah Mikaelson."

The two exchanged calloused looks with one another before turning to face her again and breaking the odd silence that was building between them.

"Hayley Thompson," the girl said first, and then the guy cleared his throat.

"Jeremy Gilbert."

Rebekah remained silent as she turned to the bartender and he cleared his throat as he rose from his seat and clapped his hands together. "Listen guys, but I gotta go," he eased, as he looked in Rebekah's direction. "I'll catch up later, though."

"Is something wrong, Ty?" Hayley asked, as she glanced between him and the blonde. "You know we've got your back, right?" she informed, more so for Rebekah to hear, as the witch carefully tucked her hands into her pockets and evaded her eyes.

The last thing she needed were her powers spiraling out of control right now.

"Yeah, I'll see you later. I promise," he said before walking off with Rebekah close behind him, and out of the student lounge.

They made their way down a vacant hallway, and he looked around cautiously before stopping in front of a room and reaching into his pocket; his slid a card through the lock and nodded for her to go in.

Rebekah obliged.

Once in the darkened room, she heard the door shut behind them, and she turned to face him, though his eyes were nearly invisible without the light.

"So, _Ty_, is it? Is that short for _Tyler?_" she questioned, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt Tyler's hand around her neck and her back pushed against a wall as he stared into her eyes.

Rebekah swallowed hard.

"I thought I told you to leave," he said lowly. "What the hell are you still doing in Mystic Falls?"

Rebekah squirmed against his touch and finally pushed herself free; rubbing her hands along her neck as she nervously glanced his way.

_This guy seriously meant business._

"I needed to know what _you _know," she said clearly, as he paced the ground. "How do you know what I am?"

Tyler finally stopped and looked up at her. She awaited an answer while he fidgeted with his thumbs and shook his head.

"I can't tell you that."

"But tell me _something_," she asked, as she moved in cautiously and bit her lip. "Like—what _you _are, and how your eyes—how they were… _yellow,_" Rebekah said lowly.

She heard Tyler swallow hard as he sat on top of a desk and Rebekah didn't budge. It probably wasn't the smartest of ideas to be in here, alone, with an unnamed supernatural creature, but she really didn't care.

She needed answers and she needed them now. She had to know just what the hell she, Bonnie, and Katherine had been thrown into.

"Are you the only one?" he asked, as he looked up at her and blinked softly. "Are you the only _witch, _here?"

Rebekah gulped and nodded yes, though it was a complete lie. She wasn't going to be open and honest until she knew just what the hell this guy was or was _on. _And she needed to protect her friends, first.

"Just me," she lied. "And what about you? Are there more of whatever you are?" she questioned.

Tyler licked his razor sharp teeth and nodded. Rebekah remained still.

"An entire pack," he said lowly, as her eyes widened and he moved across the floor. "I'm a—"

"Werewolf," Rebekah filled in, with a bit of shock behind her voice. "You're a… _werewolf._"

She'd heard about werewolves existing, but had honestly never even _met _one, until now. She always believed they were either just a myth or of a rare and dying species, so borderline decrepit, they might as well be extinct. But now hearing that there were an entire _pack _of them around here, somewhere? Well that was news to her.

_News that could have spelled life or death._

"You can't stay in Mystic Falls," Tyler said, as he looked into her eyes and her brows furrowed. "This place… the people—they'll eat you alive if they find out what you are."

Rebekah chewed at her bottom lip for a moment as the silence coursed between them. When she looked up, Tyler's eyes had been no less intense than before and that honestly shook her a little bit.

It shook her all the way down to her core.

"I'll keep your secret if you keep mine," she said, as Tyler let out a deep breath and Rebekah moved in towards him. "Nobody has to get hurt if we just _trust _each other."

Tyler snorted at that as he looked into her pale blue eyes and shook his head. His eyes narrowed.

"Why would I trust you? I barely know you, Rebekah—"

"But I know you, now; and I know that your friends—Hayley and Jeremy—they're a part of your pack, right?"

Tyler didn't say anything, but his silence offered confirmation. She slid her hands over her chest at the silent information.

"I won't tell anyone what you are if you don't tell them what I am. I just… I want to be normal—or at least _pretend _like I can be—and I won't get the chance to do that if I'm _dead. _And neither will you."

Tyler ran his fingers over his lips and Rebekah inhaled as she watched him considering the deal.

He finally moved directly before her and shook his head. They were in agreement.

"I won't say anything," Tyler replied as she breathed in relief and nodded her head. "But don't expect anything else from me… I won't be the one to save you."

Rebekah ran her tongue over her teeth before shaking her head in understanding. Tyler's eyes gleamed all the while.

"Lucky for you, I won't need any protecting."

Tyler immediately grasped onto his head as a strange searing pain steeped through his brain. His eyes widened at the discomfort that sent him tumbling to his knees as Rebekah walked up to him slowly, and her heels stopping right next to his face as he quietly concealed his agony on the ground.

"What the _hell_—" Tyler said in a strained voice and Rebekah tilted her head as she watched him writhing in pain before she finally halted the aneurysm and cocked her head.

Tyler groaned in distress as he breathed. Rebekah looked down into his golden eyes and parted her lips.

"Don't ever put your hands on me again. Are we clear?"

Tyler nodded as she stepped over his body and made her way back to the door. Tyler finally sat up as he rubbed at his temples and Rebekah spun back on her heel to face him with curiosity in her eyes. He flashed a look of annoyance.

She ignored it.

"_One last thing before I go… Do you might know where I can find Caroline Forbes? I have some business to settle with her."_

**A/N: Hey everyone! So, another lengthy chapter but I hope I kept your interest with all the happenings that are going on! What did you think about Bonnie and Damon going on not one but TWO non-dates? Is she in denial about what she feels for him so far? How long will it last? What about Katherine and her meeting with Stefan and then her words for Bonnie? Was she right or is she pushing her too much? We also finally got to meet Giuseppe and see a bit of the roughness that exists between him and Damon. What do you think Damon knows as far as the town's supernatural happenings go, or is he completely clueless? Time will only tell. Lastly—Tyler and Rebekah, vowing to keep each other's secrets. Did you like her kicking his ass at the end? Do you think it's always going to be that intense between those two? As always, thank you so much reading! I'm trying to get better at updating more often so I hope you all enjoyed this one. Be sure to leave me your thoughts about what's going on; I'm dying to know! Take care and until next time. Love you all! :D**


	4. Get Lucky

**Get Lucky  
**

"_Nice, right? See, I was thinking that I could maybe I could add a disco ball to the ceiling and some strobe lights to really set the mood when I have visitors."_

Bonnie snorted as she rolled her eyes at that, while she walked around Damon's new office in the Sociology and Anthropology building. The College had given him a call that morning to tell him that they were moving him to a new location and he hadn't known why. But when he was shown the new place, he decided he didn't have any complaints at all.

He wasn't sharing with any other assistants and the room was now _double _the size of what he had previously before; furnished with a mahogany bookcase, black leather couch, and a few vintage paintings on the wall.

He even had his own _Keurig _and Damon was positive _that _meant that he was living the high life.

_And it'd only taken him days and nights full of graduate research, professor-shadowing, and thesis writing to get there. He was getting closer and closer to his dream of teaching._

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that you _probably _shouldn't be 'setting the mood' with any of the kids in the classes your assisting."

"Why not?" Damon asked, as he grabbed a few books from one of his packed boxes, and arranged them on the shelf. "Office Hours can be a little _sexy _sometimes."

Bonnie's eyes widened as she stopped and Damon stared at her seriously for a moment before busting out into laughter and shaking his head.

"I'm kidding, Bennett. _Jeez; _I'm not hooking up with any undergrads. Besides the fact that girls your age are _totally _prepubescent, I… actually kind of love my job and I wouldn't risk it for anything," he said as she sneered at that.

"Unless it's a frat party thrown by your brother," she said, as she noted the party just a few days ago. "I'm pretty sure he can talk you into anything."

Damon smiled at that and didn't even try to deny it.

For all purposes intended, his brother was his _best friend _and he'd do anything for him.

Even if it were illegal.

And though they didn't see each other as much as he would have liked because of the rift and differing opinions on their father Giuseppe's ways, Damon didn't love Stefan any less. He would jump through hoops of fire and swim the seven seas to protect him.

_He would die for him._

"We've always been that way," Damon said as he leaned against his desk ad folded his arms slightly. "Stefan and I were borderline Siamese twins when we were younger, my mom said; everywhere that I went, he tagged along. And believe it or not—I actually _loved _it. I wanted him with me all the time."

Bonnie smiled at that as she noticed the faint gleam in Damon's eyes when he spoke of his brother. It was nothing like the disillusion she noticed whenever he talked about his dad. Whenever his brother's name passed his lips, it was like Damon was suddenly brought to life and just the idea of the younger Salvatore did it for him.

With his mother gone and his father being someone he never really believed he could trust, there was always _Stefan; _and he felt lucky every day when he realized he had someone so dedicated within his life.

He would never say the words though; not to his face, anyway. He was much more comfortable with calling Stefan _annoying, righteous, and perfectly poised _for anything that came his way.

Stefan could know that he cared about him, but not _too _much; he was still Damon and he still had his pride and secrets that he liked to keep to himself.

His unparalleled affection for his brother would have to be one thing he didn't like to tell anyone about.

_Except for Bonnie, of course. She somehow was getting to know _everything _and it scared him a little bit to be so open with a girl that he had just met._

She was even the first person he was showing this space too, and for him that meant something.

Bonnie—though new to his life—was somebody that liked to be around and he found himself divulging more and more to her, though it felt like she still remained a mystery.

Damon was an open book—albeit, with secrets of his own—while Bonnie was barely even _cracked._

Did she just not trust him as much as he already trusted her? Or was there another reason why she was keeping so mum?

He figured it was worth it to find out.

"Do you have any siblings?" Damon asked, before she could change the subject to something else. "What kind of family do you come from?"

"A small one," Bonnie said easily, as she began to help him grab a few books and stack them onto the shelf. "At home, it's just me, my mom Abby, and my dad Rudy… My Grams lives nearby and I have a few cousins here and there, but that's sort of it… I'm an only child."

Damon nodded at that as he pointed an index towards her and squinted his eyes.

"_That _explains it, then."

Bonnie scoffed at that as she folded her arms and eyed him sharply.

"Explains _what?"_

"The sassiness," he said as she rolled her eyes and a smile geared towards his lips. "You are _ridiculously _feisty. Probably spoiled to _death _too, huh?"

"Oh whatever, you're one to talk," she snapped back as he laughed and eyed her carefully. "You're the mayor's _son, _Damon—in some Podunk town with one bar that doubles as a restaurant as well… Everybody knows you and I'm sure they wouldn't mind if they had to _be _you… You have it made. Everything all set out for you."

"Because I worked for it," Damon replied as her hands landed on her hips and she pressed her mouth shut. "I don't take anything from my Dad; not advice, not money—not even food, and I am pretty sure there's just a case of beer in my fridge and maybe some Ramen noodles in my closet at my apartment," he said honestly. "I don't want to be him."

There was a long silence between the two as Bonnie stared at him; noticing the uncomfortable weight in Damon's eyes as he directed all of his attention to his books—completely evading his eyes.

There was something he wanted to say—_needed to get out—_about his father and she wasn't exactly sure what. All she knew was that it was plaguing him, in more ways than one, and for somebody as outspoken as Damon, his silence nearly petrified her.

She'd never seen him be somebody who didn't have more to say.

"What is he like?" Bonnie asked softly, as Damon turned to face her with a packed glare. "Why do you hate him so much?"

Damon fingered the leather bind of the book in his hand and chewed at his bottom lip as Bonnie stared at him patiently. He sucked in a deep breath, though his mind was running a mile a minute before turning back to the case and abandoning her eyes again.

There were just some things that he hated talking about; his father was one of them.

"He's a dick, for lack of a better word," Damon said shortly as her gaze remained fixed on him; _burning _through him. "Abusive, selfish, power-hungry… I don't think he ever loved my mom and now that he's getting remarried, I don't have any doubt that he'll treat Pearl and her daughter like royalty at first, until they defy him… He uses people, to get what he wants, and then he throws them away… He's the most manipulative person I've ever met in my entire life and some days, I wonder if—"he stopped and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I should stop. I'm ranting."

"I'm the one who asked—"

"It doesn't mean that I should have said anything," Damon replied. "Who knows who _you'll_ tell… Why _are _you so interested anyway? Have you ever noticed that you ask a _lot _of questions? You're a regular old Velma Dinkley."

Bonnie tapped her foot as they stared at one another longingly and she felt her hands immediately clam up.

In that jet black long sleeved shirt with skin whiter than pearl, his blue eyes just _glowed _against the backdrop of his face; they were so _intense. _

She almost felt like he was the ocean and those eyes were the tidal wave; while she was just a fragile shell floating along the shore, until he swept her up into his madness.

She hated that she felt _so much _every single time that she looked at him. She hated even more that she didn't know _what _it all meant.

The only thing she _knew _was that it _meant something._

Bonnie swallowed hard as the space between she and Damon became about a breath and her heart quite literally felt like it had jumped into her _throat._

If there was one way to make her lose her train of thought, that was it; _by taking her breath away._

"If I'm Velma, then you're Fred," she finally managed in a tight voice before she exhaled and Damon continued to eye her strongly. "He was a pompous _jackass _who didn't know anything and caused more trouble than he was worth."

"But… you thought he was hot, right?" he asked as Bonnie snorted. "Hot enough to… raise a bunch of money for a good cause tonight, while being sexualized by women old enough to be my _grandmother?_

"I'm not gonna answer that, because I'm _not _bidding on you," Bonnie said; instantly remembering the charity auction that was going on at the Mystic Grill later, that she had the pleasure of being scheduled to work for.

It was the "Cuties for Cancer" fundraiser that Sigma Omega Phi threw every year to raise money for cancer research and according to Matt, it was a _huge _event for not only Whitmore College but Mystic Falls, in general. With the school successfully raising over $40,000 every single auction, between tickets, registration, raffles, and of course the main attraction—_the men, _it had become a running tradition every year and everyone who was anyone was there.

Damon had told Bonnie all about it, and the more she heard, the harder she laughed.

Each guy registered for the event would be sold—_auction style—_for a date to the highest bidder for a price. And with a line-up of hand-picked and _ridiculously attractive men, _the women of Mystic Falls had their pick of the litter, just as long as they could put their money where their mouth was.

What surprised Bonnie the most about it all as Damon explained the fundraiser was that Caroline Forbes didn't have to fight tooth and nail to get him to participate.

It wasn't that Damon was a _shy guy—_he was outrageously outspoken and social, so it wasn't much of a shock that he'd agree to this sort of thing. But what made her _maybe _raise a brow a little bit was the fact that she and Damon never talked about his love life, or who was in it.

He knew about Kol and she was never shy with dropping her boyfriend's name every once and while during conversation. But him?

He never denied or confirmed if he were seeing somebody or not. And for a guy as—admittedly—funny _and _good-looking as himself, it just struck her as weird that he was potentially single.

Did he have baggage or were the girls in Mystic Falls just _blind?_

She _seriously _doubted the latter; just by sitting with Damon for a few hours at the Grill, she saw just how much he got hit on. And sometimes he returned a smile or a wink; other times, he completely ignored any and all flirtation.

Was he just playing hard to get or was he genuinely just that _hot and cold?_

There was only one way to find out.

"It's gonna be _Cougar County,_ for sure," she said as Damon laughed and shook his head in agreement. "A _Puma Party; Mountain Lion Madhouse… _I'm sure your girlfriend will be jealous though I'm not sure she'll have much to worry about… I have your highest bid going at exactly $12.58."

Damon raised both eyebrows with intrigue before folding his arms.

"That _high, _huh?" he asked playfully.

"Yeah," she said with the shake of her head. "You lose stock every time you open your mouth—didn't _she_ tell you?"

Damon licked his teeth and before he could say a word, they were interrupted as the door to his office opened and two sets of eyes darted to the door as a beautiful brunette walked in, with her eyes focused on a stack of papers as she spoke quickly.

"Before you go I just need you to go through these—"she started and stopped when she looked up to meet Damon and Bonnie's eyes and realized the fact that she had been interrupting something. "Oh, I'm sorry—I didn't realize you had a visitor. I can come back—"

"Nah it's cool, this is just Bonnie—"he started and the brunette extended her free hand in her direction as she stared at her curiously.

"Bonnie _Bennett, _right?" she interrupted Damon and focused her attention solely on the girl. "I'm Meredith Fell; I teach a few of the Anthropology courses here… you're in my Mythology and Occultism class, right?" she asked as her hand finally touched Bonnie's. "_I recognized your name from the attendance list."_

Bonnie smiled at that, though she and Meredith knew it was a bold-faced _lie._

She, Katherine, and Rebekah had met with Meredith and Gloria yesterday to discuss their schedules and the times the girls would be expected to meet them to practice magic.

With long brown hair, a thin frame, and wide brown eyes, Meredith was painfully gorgeous but slightly _intimidating, _as she possessed a mind so _full _of magic and its history, you felt borderline _useless _just listening to her talk.

She knew everything about _everything, _and now, she could add _everyone, _as she was surely taking note of the private meeting between her and Damon as she eyed them suspiciously for foul play.

Bonnie wasn't _guilty _of doing anything wrong, however, this felt like the perfect opportunity to leave anyway. She had to get ready for work tonight and Damon had to prepare himself to be thrown to the wolves like he was piece of cattle.

_The fun was over anyway._

"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Fell," Bonnie said appropriately, as they shook hands and she pulled her own away none too quickly. "I look forward to the class—I heard it's really cool."

Meredith smiled as Damon snorted playfully before Bonnie met his eyes.

"It's cool if you like a whole bunch of made-up ghost stories about Gods and Goddesses that don't exist, and hocus pocus spells," he teased. "Meredith is a regular _Hecate."_

"Well, I see you learned _one _thing while assisting me your first year," she said and Damon smirked. "What a shame the Sociology Department ripped you from my grip."

"Someone had to help with the _American Society and Sociology of Crime _classes. Clearly, I'm the favorite around here," he winked.

Bonnie remained silent as she watched the exchange between Meredith and Damon. But the longer that she did, the longer that it just felt uncomfortable for her.

Bonnie had known all about the witch doctrine and the laws about having a forbidden romance with a _mortal. _It meant never getting close enough to a _human _that you would begin to care for them so deeply, that you built an attraction. Trysts with the humans was seen as an act of betrayal in her community and she knew better than to open herself up enough to even let it get that far, though Rebekah and Katherine had seemingly thrown all rules out the window since getting here; Katherine bringing home a different guy nearly every night, and Rebekah dubiously on the hunt for a boyfriend, no matter _what _they were.

Bonnie believed meeting her mentors—especially Meredith, who was very close in age—would help to keep her head on straight about it all, simply because she knew so much.

But as she watched the woman clearly _flirting _with Damon shamelessly before her, it was obvious that her morals had been poisoned as well.

_And she definitely was sneaking around with Damon._

"This was fun but I have to go," Bonnie said abruptly, as she grabbed her bag and threw it over her shoulder and headed towards the door. "Ms. Fell—a pleasure… Dam—"she stopped and inhaled a deep breath as she met his electric blue eyes. "_Mr. Salvatore—_good luck at the auction if we don't cross paths tonight."

Damon stared at her questioningly before he waved a goodbye and Meredith smiled her way as she locked the door.

The minute it shut behind her, Damon turned back towards his bookcase and glanced at the work he and Bonnie had done in just a short few hours.

The almost filled shelf looked fantastic if he did say so himself, and little Bonnie Bennett hadn't been too bad of a helper if he was willing to admit that, as well. Her exit was quick, though, and if they got the chance to talk tonight, he'd have to ask her what the hell was wrong.

For now, though, he'd have to deal with another pressing matter that came in the form of a lady colleague who was still here in his office and now observing the direction as her fingers smoothed over his desk.

Damon finally faced her.

"Don't go scaring my friends away, lady," he said with a warning tone and pointed index while Meredith looked up into his eyes. "And while you're at it, learn to knock."

Meredith rolled her eyes at that, before finally picking up the papers again and handing them to Damon with a pen, as he sat down to sort through them.

She spoke on while he flipped the pages.

"All the knocking in the _world _isn't going to change the fact that you haven't even started teaching yet, and you're already engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a _student. _To put it simply—are you fucking _crazy_?" she asked sharply as Damon's brows furrowed.

"I don't know—am I for thinking that I can have actual _friends _outside this job?... You and the other tenured professors are cool and all, but sometimes I don't _relate. _And that's fine for now, Meredith. I'm only Nigel's shadow this semester, anyway—"

"They… didn't tell you, did they?" Meredith asked and Damon looked up immediately to meet her eyes as confusion grew in his stomach. "Nigel isn't coming back… Not this semester, anyway."

Damon dropped his pen as he stared up at Meredith in disbelief and shook his head.

"That's… kind of impossible. I'm his _assistant. _I wouldn't be here if it weren't for _him. _What the hell did they plan of having me do without him? Did I get this office because they _felt bad_?"

"You… got it because I believe you're next in line to take over… I think they're going to ask you to teach."

Damon's eyes widened as he stared at her and Meredith remained completely serious, as he cracked his knuckles and shook his head.

_Him? A professor? Was that even allowed?_

"_Bullshit."_

"You're going to be an adjunct, Damon—I know it. I have sources."

Damon stared at her in utter incredulity as he tried to process her words, though they were coming up more and more bizarre each time.

He was going to be a _professor? _

"The details are still in the works," Meredith said as she grabbed is finished forms and stared into his eyes. "But don't be surprised if you get a call from the Department Head by tomorrow, formally offering you the position."

Damon swallowed a little bit. It had always been his dream to be a tenured professor at a college since he was a little kid. He loved teaching—_every aspect of it_—and he couldn't imagine what it'd be like to one day have a classroom that he could call his own with a bunch of students to enlighten.

And though being an adjunct was about as low on the totem pole that you could get, it was a start. The rest of his life was starting_ now._

"In that case, I'll maybe try not to get too hammered tonight, considering the fact that I could be interviewing tomorrow."

Meredith nodded at that as she reached the door and pressed her hand to the knob.

She turned to look at him once more.

"I was serious what I said about Bonnie, Damon," she suddenly said as his eyes met hers in a slow glare. "You might not think it's a big deal, but it is… and I would hate to see you get yourself in trouble because of a teenager," she added.

Damon pursed his lips together at Meredith's words.

"She's a _friend, _Meredith—nothing more than that."

"The first rule you're gonna learn is that there's _no _such thing as being friends with the students…It's a defined line and you'll be much better off if you don't blur it."

Damon remained silent as he stared at her contemplatively enough.

Maybe she was right; maybe it wasn't the smartest of ideas to befriend some girl who was younger than him, though when he was with her, he _felt _something he couldn't explain.

He'd been in love, he'd been in lust; he knew infatuation, desire, and _longing, _but he hadn't quite felt something that was as earnest as what he'd been experiencing around Bonnie.

Maybe it was in his best interest to quit while he was ahead; _before this meant much more to him than he'd be able to take._

XXXXX

"Don't forget to sign the sheet if you want to rush!" Caroline smiled pleasantly at the passing and stopping students in the quad, as the _Campus Rush Day_ blazed on and the sidewalks were lined with hundreds of tables for the various recruiting sororities and fraternities opening up the flood gates to fresh meat. "You, too, can become a pledge to Whitmore's most prestigious sorority," she winked.

Caroline did her best to feign a smile at the line of girl's signing the clipboard, as she secretly sized them all up; narrowing down the selection process just based off of their first impressions.

It had been a standard agreement of the sorority to give these girls some _hope, _but it was just to save face, really. They really weren't known for selecting anyone who wasn't already a legacy. Quite frankly, it didn't bother her so much that of the fifty and counting girls who already signed up in the past twenty _minutes, _maybe about _four _had an actual chance.

Sigma Omega Phi was all about its exclusivity and the club could only maintain that the more people they turned down. The tougher to get in, the better; these girls had to understand that it was truly an _honor _and a blessing to be accepted into something so exceptional. With their access to the greatest and biggest alumni network, filled with some of the world's most successful women, the sisters of Sigma Omega Phi were basically set for life.

She smiled at the latest batch of girls signing up and taking their rush paperwork, before casting her eyes on an approaching target that made her laugh in disbelief mixed with amusement.

_Again? Really?_

"Do you need me to spell out your rejection letter, or was the verbal enough?" she asked in a low tone as the blonde stood before her, with shorter brunette at her side. "April, honey—if you're stilling planning on pledging, you shouldn't hang out with people like her… She'll only bring you down," Caroline warned, with a smile.

"I'll take my chances," April said, as she clicked the pen in her hand and signed the paper, while Caroline stared Rebekah down with such tenacity, she was sure she could have mentally willed her to burst into flames.

_If only._

Instead, Rebekah took the pen from April's hand and signed the sheet accordingly before looking into Caroline's blue eyes again, that seemed to be smirking all on their own.

She let out a short laugh and shook her head, before twirling a curl.

"You don't _actually _think that you have a chance, do you? I've already told you before, Rebekah—Sigma Omega Phi is _exclusive_; borderline _closed _to anyone who isn't a legacy—"

"No it isn't," they heard, as they turned around to see a familiar brunette with hazel eyes approaching; her arms crossed, and a pointed gaze sent steadily in Caroline's direction. "And even if _you _think so, why would it matter? Last I checked, I make the decisions around here."

Caroline swallowed hard as the girl finally made her way in front of them, and sent her another piercing look before looking to Rebekah and pursing her lips.

"I remember you," she said softly as they met each other's eyes. "Your _Ty's _friend, right?"

Rebekah's mind flashed back to her meeting with Tyler—when she so informally kicked his ass—and she nodded quietly at the girl's inquiry. If being Tyler's "friend" was what he had told her, she would gladly accept the cover. The last time she had met her, she seemed much more _protective _over the fact that she didn't know Rebekah. Now, could it be that she was actually being _friendly?_

"Hayley Thompson, right?" Rebekah asked, and the girl smiled. "From the student lounge… I wasn't aware that you were a member of Sigma Omega Phi."

"It's not something that I like to hold over other people's heads, like my V.P Caroline, here," Hayley said as Caroline pressed her lips.

A smile spread to Rebekah's lips at that the longer she watched, as thinly veiled disgust and disdain marked Caroline's eyes.

_Hayley was the President of the sorority? Well, that changed _everything.

"Good to know someone's capable of being unbiased around here," Rebekah said. "I'm thankful for the opportunity to rush—_really _thankful."

"Me too," April piped up happily. "Even though I have an Theatre thing that I have to get to, now—"

"We'll see you soon, April," Hayley smiled calmly and the girl grinned at her and then Rebekah before trotting off; leaving the three to glance between each other in a long silence, though the hustle and bustle of the quad was enough to make it seem like they were actively having a great time.

Rebekah silently studied the non-verbal exchange between Hayley and Caroline, before the blonde cleared her throat and excused herself, without another word at all. It almost made Rebekah burst with excitement at the fact that Caroline really _wasn't _as big of a Queen Bee that she'd previously made herself out to be.

But Hayley's sudden love had her suspicious if Tyler had actually kept his promise and her secret like he said he would.

"I'm having a get-together at my place, tonight after the auction—just a few of the sisters and some frat guys, if you want to come… It'll be a good opportunity for you, if you're serious about rushing. It's a good idea to make friends here."

Rebekah nodded at that, as she watched Hayley grab a sheet of paper; busily scribbling some things down before she handed it to her.

_It was her phone number and address._

"Tyler will be there, too, just in case you're wondering," Hayley smiled and Rebekah bit her lip at that in return. "I think he'll be surprised to see you."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I know that you haven't seen each other since that day I met you… he's been a little irritable; _quiet. _And as someone who's known Tyler since _birth, _I know it's because of a _girl_."

Rebekah snorted at that before she shook her head. Maybe he was just still hurting from the fact that he got his ass handed to him by a female.

"Is that why you're being so nice to me? Because you think I can do something to make Tyler feel better?" Rebekah asked.

"I'm being nice to you because I think you deserve a chance to rush my sorority, without Caroline trying to faze you out. "I'm being nice because yeah, Tyler called you a _friend, _but I don't know anything about you—and I think that I should… I _want _to."

Rebekah sighed as she glanced at the paper once more before stuffing it into her bag. She couldn't deny that she was rather intrigued, too, by the fact that Tyler called her a "Friend," despite the fact that he clearly couldn't stand her already. He could have easily faked her being some girl he hooked up with once, or something.

_But he called her a friend; and she wanted to know why, too._

"I'll be there," Rebekah declared as Hayley smirked accordingly. "Should I… bring anything?"

Hayley ran her fingers through her long brown hair before tying it into a ponytail, and Rebekah watched on as the werewolf's hands slid to her hips.

She may not have been as intimidating as she was before, but she was still pretty damn daunting—even if she was going to give Rebekah a chance.

"Bring your swimsuit," Hayley instructed, as Rebekah's eyes widened a bit and the girl smiled in return. "I have a hot tub."

XXXXX

"I don't have the _slightest _idea what I should wear," Rebekah said, as she tossed her clothes out of her closet behind her and tightened her teeth. "What does one wear when they're planning a sorority take-down?" she huffed, and Katherine pursed her lips as she perused the outfits on the blonde's bed and let out a bored sigh. "Or going to an auction; whatever."

"_Polyester._ _Definitely,_" she joked and Rebekah rolled her eyes as she ignored Katherine's words. "I never doubt _anyone _in polyester."

Katherine watched on as the blonde continued to fashion a few shirts before her, as she twirled her brown curls through her fingers and finally cleared her throat.

"So, you never told Bonnie and what happened at that party the other night-why you were so _frazzled _the next morning. She said you broke my favorite mug."

Rebekah turned around immediately; briefly meeting Katherine's eyes and then avoiding them just as quickly, before picking up another shirt and facing the mirror again. She'd not only spoken to Tyler and given him an _aneurysm, _but he provided her with the inside scoop on where Caroline's sorority house was _and _just what her plans would be for the week. Her plans for destruction were _almost _aborted when Bonnie texted she and Katherine to tell them about a fundraiser tonight; obliteration was back on however once she informed them Caroline was the one throwing it.

Caroline would definitely be there; and she was sure they were going to bump heads.

But that wasn't all that was unnerving right now.

She could pretend that she was afraid about this Caroline thing, but she honestly wasn't. It was _Tyler _who rattled her nerves and she could only hope that he would keep his promise to not tell her secret, just like she was going to protect his.

So far, so good.

"It was nothing," she lied, as she stared at her own reflection. "Just planning the demise of Caroline Forbes… it's been tiring but April has been a big help. It seems like this isn't going to be an easy one," she said as Katherine narrowed her eyes.

"Right…" she trailed off as she cocked her head and pointed her manicured index. "You know you're a witch, right? And after we finally meet Meredith and Gloria tomorrow and learn from them, you'll _know_ how to use your powers… And I'm sure there's a _Poof, Be Gone! Sorority Bitch _spell with your name on it. You won't _have _to do things the human way," Katherine replied.

Rebekah was immediately flashed back to her two separate meetings with Tyler and she swallowed hard; the last thing any of them needed to be using was magic, if he were right.

"I kind of like being 'human,'" she said, as Katherine rolled her eyes. "There's a certain…_charm _to it."

"Boring," Katherine said, as she hopped off the bed and snatched the shirt out of Rebekah's hand; easily letting it land on the floor before her.

She then reached into her closet and pulled out a tight black number that she'd gotten Rebekah to buy _just in case _they went out on the town and the girl's eyes widened when she shoved it in front of her. Katherine smiled as Rebekah observed the dress—_which looked more like a small shirt to be honest—_before reaching down for a pair of red heels and dangling them in her fingers.

"What the _hell—"_

"If you want to do things the _human _way, then I suggest you turn some heads. Go all out and steal the show, unless you _want _to live beneath Caroline's tyranny forever."

Rebekah glanced down at the outfit Katherine prepared for her and she shook her head. This was _ludicrous._

"The Salvatore house isn't a _nightclub, _Katherine—"

"But if you wanna make her life hell, why don't you hit her wear it hurts? _Take the attention away from her. _Her popularity is all that she has. If you cut the head off of the snake—"

"It'll grow more heads."

"It'll shrivel up and die, if you do it right," Katherine winked. "Just trust me, Rebekah—"

"And why's that? You _hate _sororities and everything they stand for. If I take her down, what does it do for you? How do _you _benefit?"

Katherine licked her tongue across her cherry red lips and remained silent.

There really _weren't _any benefits to helping Rebekah, other than the fact that if Caroline crumbled, things would no doubt end with Stefan, and she could so easily _replace _her as the Head Bitch in Charge, the nice and _easy _way.

Rebekah would have what she wanted and Katherine would have what she craved; _power._

And after she had that power in tow, she'd have no issues collecting a bunch of minions and convincing them to do her bidding, while the three remained under the careful and watchful eyes of their witch mentors.

She'd have no problems breaking the rules left and right when she had other people doing it _for _her, and that was what she truly desired.

She really needed this, she told herself. _Power _would be the thing to save her; she needed it much more than any of them knew.

"I want you to be happy," Katherine said simply, as Rebekah rolled her eyes and her hands landed at her shoulders. "I'm serious. I may _hate _everything that your stupid little club stands for but that doesn't mean that I don't think you shouldn't getit if you _want it,_" Katherine added seriously. "You're one of my best friends… And I won't let you go down without a _real _fight."

Rebekah smiled at that as her blue eyes met Katherine's brown ones and she nodded.

She supposed her ideas for this "takedown" were probably lame in comparison to those of _Lady Lucifer _herself, anyway.

"You think out-dressing her will work? I mean, Caroline is no amateur, sadly."

"No, but she is also very _comfortable. _And she won't be expecting such a simple strike after you promised her such a big threat. It'll confuse her," Katherine smirked.

Rebekah nodded in agreement as she fashioned the dress before herself again and let out a sigh.

If she was going to talk big, then she had to play hard. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. And there would be no slowing down or backing off when it came to Caroline Forbes.

_None whatsoever._

"Are you sure I don't look like a floozy?" Rebekah asked as she spun around and looked at Katherine. "And my hair—what in _God's name _do we do about my hair?"

Katherine grinned as she grabbed a handful and held it up and away from Rebekah's shoulders as the both looked in the mirror. The brunette ticked her jaw.

"Up, definitely… Easier access for whatever lucky guy is gonna nibble on your neck after you _pay _for him."

Rebekah scoffed before letting out a laugh before shaking her head.

"You're _ridiculous._"

"I know right?" she laughed.

Katherine's phone began to ring and she let go of the girl's locks as she walked over to her dresser and picked it up. She let out a quiet breath as she clicked open the text message on the screen and ran her fingers through her hair as she mentally recited the words.

"_I miss you."_

Katherine pursed her lips before typing a quick response while Rebekah walked out to head for the shower and she sat on the bed behind her.

"_I thought I told you not to text me anymore," _she replied.

Her phone chimed no more than twenty seconds later and she exhaled softly as she read over his words.

"_Excuse me for thinking we could be mature… considering our history. Is this how you treat _all _the boys after they do everything in their power make you happy?"_

Katherine's foot tapped against the bed at that, before she shook her head anxiously and rolled her tongue.

She was _not _doing this; not like every other night for the past week.

"_I do when you're trying to blackmail me," _she sent, before quickly exiting the screen and preparing to turn off her cell.

It immediately began to sound again though, and this time with an actual _phone call._

She contemplated ignoring it, but she knew the consequences of that. They wouldn't stop if she took a stand. They'd find some way to reach her whether she liked it or not, and perhaps she was best off in this very moment answering it while Rebekah was in the shower and Bonnie was at work.

She gulped before pressing the green button that illuminated on her screen, and she remained silent when she placed it to her ear; the number was blocked but she knew just who it was by the uneasy feeling that rose in her chest and settled in her bones.

_It was always him._

"What?" she asked lightly, though her soul felt heavy with regret and fear; _heavy with the fact that she couldn't tell anyone about this, otherwise she risked losing everything._

Especially the two people most important in her life.

"_Are you alone?" _he asked, and Katherine bit her lip.

"What does it matter? I don't want to talk either way," she whispered viciously into the receiver.

"_Lucky for you, then, I'm not interested in the talk," _he said predictably, as she let out a long breath. _"I'll be seeing you—_much _sooner than I thought and I decided it'd be nice to give you some notice…just in case you try to pull anything funny."_

Katherine shut her russet eyes before opening them again to the ceiling at the sound of his voice.

"When?" she asked, through a burning throat.

"_Soon," _he said with a smirk that made her skin crawl. _"And when I do… I intend to settle the score between us; once and for all, Katerina."_

The line went dead as she heard the knob for the door turning and she quickly gathered herself together and slipped her cell into her pocket; erasing any trace of her duress totally and completely.

Rebekah furrowed her brows as she walked back in, only clad in her towel, as she saw Katherine still sitting on the bed. She rifled her fingers through her blonde hair and eyed her fleetingly.

"You're still here? Don't you have any idea how long it takes you to do your own hair and makeup? You won't even have a moment to do mine," Rebekah said as Katherine feigned a smirk and nodded.

Looking a Rebekah was heartbreaking; she was already having trouble stomaching the idea that she'd have to face _Bonnie. _But Rebekah, too?

"I'll have time—I decided I'm not gonna go tonight," Katherine said, as the blonde's eyes widened. "I think I had bad tofu; I feel gross."

Rebekah frowned at that as she blinked softly and Katherine looked to the ground.

"Do you want me to stay with you? I'm sure Bonnie wouldn't have an issue skipping tonight too—"

"No, you two go, please," Katherine said, trying to hide the dismay in her voice. "It's for a good cause… And Damon is Bonnie's friend, and _you _have to find a guy."

Rebekah pursed her lips as Katherine clapped her hands together and feigned a smirk.

"I'll go get the curling iron and hairspray… Lord knows a lot of work goes into making _you _look fabulous," Katherine joked as Rebekah smiled at that as she headed towards the door.

"Hey, Kat," she said, and the brunette stopped as the blonde's eyes met hers and she felt the hollowness in her chest only expanding the longer they embraced each other in this gaze.

"I love you. And…I'm happy we're in this together," Rebekah said.

Katherine offered a small smile though her throat felt dry and she had to force herself to not completely crumble at Rebekah's words.

_Because oh, how wrong they were._

"Don't go sappy on me," Katherine said, as she raised an index in warning, and Rebekah grinned. "I won't allow it."

"Fine," Rebekah said as she crossed her arms and smiled dearly. "I hate you. And I hope I _never _see you again," she joked. "Is that better, you asshole?"

Katherine offered a forced grin at that before silently exiting the room, and making her way down the hallway for the supplies.

There were about a million other names Rebekah could call her and she still believed that none of them would suffice.

XXXXX

Bonnie stood with her arms crossed over her chest, as her eyes traced over Damon's fingers and down to his guitar, while he strummed a few chords and played along with the song.

She looked around her at the crowd in the Mystic Grill and her eyes widened in fascination when she realized just how many people were here; dancing, drinking, buying raffle tickets, and sizing up the prey like it was nobody's business.

Damon's band—appropriately called _Tonight's Entertainment—_was playing a cover of some Daft Punk song, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes—_and smile_—at just how much these guys were hamming it up for the crowd, because of their good looks.

The groups dancing around—_mostly women—were _whispering to each other about how hot he and the other guys were; vowing to buy him a shot or a beer, though all of the band's stuff was on the house.

And she was in charge of getting it for them. Matt had delegated her to _Band Concierge _for the night and Bonnie's job was to make sure they had everything they needed whenever they wanted it; _all night._

In their defense, though, they hadn't been horrible to her, at all. In fact—Damon introduced Bonnie to the other members—Marcel, Danny, and Jason— who all met her with gracious smiles and curious glares.

She could only begin to wonder what Damon told them about her. She actually didn't want to know, she realized.

"If you stare at him any harder, he _might _actually get a little shy. And I can honestly say I've _never _seen that happen."

Bonnie's face flushed as she turned to meet Matt, who was bartending just behind the bar she was leaning on and he smiled her way as he shook a margarita.

Bonnie cleared her throat as she looked at the stage again.

"_I don't know who you're talking about."_

"Damon, obviously," Matt replied as he set the drinks on a tray and began on his next order as the music played on. "You don't think I actually believe you're just _friends, _do you?"

Bonnie didn't say anything as her eyes met Damon's involuntarily, and the guy winked at her before leaning into his mic and singing along with Marcel to the words.

_We're up all night to get lucky.  
_

Bonnie shook her head furiously before turning to face Matt who saw the entire thing and he smirked ingeniously.

"_I rest my case."_

Bonnie bit her lip as she scrambled for the right words to combat those and she cursed herself when she realized it took her so long to say what should have been mentioned moments ago.

"I have a boyfriend," she said. "His name is Kol—remember?"

Matt looked into Bonnie's eyes as he stirred a martini and she placed her hands firmly on her hips as his stare never softened.

"Of course _I _remember… The question is, do _you?_" Matt asked as her eyes widened.

"Of course I do; it hasn't been that long since I've been without him. Maybe a week—"

"That must be the reason Damon requested you _specifically, _then, to tend to his band," Matt answered as her jaw dropped a little. "Maybe he figures when you _do _finally forget, it'll increase his chances at being the pick of the litter."

Bonnie's fists tightened as she stared at Matt and licked her tongue slowly across her teeth.

_He did what?_

Before Bonnie could reply to that, she heard someone calling her name and she turned to say Damon motioning her towards him as the band went on their first break and his friends all scattered off in different directions.

She sent one last look before she walked over in reluctant compliance, ready to flip her notepad open to write down whatever it was that he was going to order.

Her behavior was foiled when he moved her pad out of the way and her eyes narrowed, while meeting his.

"Well, what the hell do you want, then?"

"Ouch, _feisty," _he hissed as if she burned him and Bonnie rolled her eyes accordingly. "I was just going to ask if you've seen my brother around. Buff arms, green eyes, _huge _hair—"

"Yeah, he was just at the bar with some of the other frat guys," she nodded. "I think he was ordering tequila shots."

"Typical," Damon shook his head, as Bonnie began to walk away but he stopped her by the forearm.

She breathed in deeply when she felt the familiar electric current pierce through her, but her look of disdain masked it accordingly.

He _really _needed to stop touching her like that.

"Are you cranky because you're sort of the maid service for me and the guys tonight?" he asked as her brows knitted. "If it makes you feel better, I'll do nothing but shots so I get drunk faster and you'll have to do less _waiting."_

"Charming," she said sarcastically as he sent her a smile. "It's a good thing you think I'm kidding."

"I know you're not. But I don't care… I'm _a pompous jackass who's more trouble than what I'm worth,_ remember?" he wiggled a brow and she rolled her eyes at that before he cleared his throat seriously. "I'm sorry if you felt rushed out of my office earlier by Meredith, she's… just like that. I also apologize that you got stuck as our minion for the night—"

"I didn't get _stuck, _Damon, _you _chose me," she said sharply as his blue eyes followed hers. "Why, exactly? Did you think it'd be funny?"

"I… thought it'd be smart, because I probably trust you the most of anyone here not to roofie my drinks," he said as the girl scowled. "… Though now, I think I should probably keep an eye out for the cyanide… Bonnie-it's not _that _big of a deal, right?"

"Why would I think it's a big deal?" she asked defensively. "I mean, it's not like I have to _wait _on you all night or anything, hand and foot—"

"But it's sort of worth it because… I get to see you again," he admitted and her stomach dropped the minute words passed his lips and she watched him never regretting them. "And… I wasn't _sure _how to."

"A text message. A phone call. A _carrier pigeon_… All of those would have sufficed," she said. "You won't really get to talk to me while we're both _working_—"

"I have my ways_,_" Damon replied, as he closed a bit of space between them in the blink of an eye. "We'll talk… one way, or another."

Bonnie heart skipped at that and she cleared her throat firmly when she watched a smile course over his lips immediately. It was almost like he could _hear _her heartbeat.

"I have a boyfriend," she blurted suddenly and Damon's eyes narrowed as she stared into his eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm…_taken, _Damon, and it's probably not a good idea that we hang out the way that we do when I'm with _him… _It sends the wrong kind of signal."

"To _who? _All of these people who don't even _know _you?"

"_You _don't even know me, Damon… You don't know _anything _about me!" she nearly shrieked—thanking the gods that the music by the DJ was too loud for the entire grill to hear it. Bonnie took in a deep breath, as she tried so desperately hard to keep her composure. "What I'm saying that I—it _doesn't _look okay for a girl who has a boyfriend to be so…_close _with somebody else who _isn't him… _It doesn't _feel _okay."

Damon stared at her blankly for a moment as she struggled to ignore the sudden heat flash that she felt across her skin.

He stepped in a bit closer and she didn't budge when he knelt in even more to meet her eyes as her heart pounded out of her chest.

_What was he doing, exactly?_

"Are you sure about that?" he asked, as she looked deeper into his eyes and swallowed hard at the intensity shining through them. "Are you sure that it doesn't _feel _exactly the way that you _want _it to? Bonnie… I have to tell you something."

Bonnie exhaled and luckily enough for her, she and Damon's moment was interrupted when his brother called his name from the crowd, and began to make his way over with a drink in hand and a silly grin on his face.

Damon wanted to roll his eyes.

_Bad timing as always, Saint Stefan._

"I have to go—" Bonnie said lowly as she turned around to walk away and she bumped into the younger Salvatore, who expertly caught his drink before it spilled all over her shirt and raised it to his lips—each drop intact.

Bonnie instinctively placed a hand to her hot forearm and looked into his glowering green eyes; feeling a sudden wave of anxiety—_almost fear_—the longer that they stared at each other.

She looked down at his drink to notice that it hadn't spilt at all —_which she considered nearly impossible_—and the rush of thoughts flurrying her brain only broke once Stefan sent her a smile and pointed an index in her direction.

"Bonnie Bennett, right?" he asked and she nodded quickly and quietly, as his eyes grazed over her frame and he smiled again. "Your Katherine's friend."

Bonnie feigned a smile as she met his eyes and tried to combat the apprehension growing within her bones.

_Why did it feel so strong?_

"I am," she confirmed in a light voice as Stefan smirked. "How do you know that?"

"I saw you together at the party," he explained. "Before I met her. She's an interesting girl."

"Yeah, she is," Bonnie answered, as she tucked a strand behind her ear. "If you'll excuse me Stefan, I have to—"

"Wait," he said, as his arm touched hers again and Bonnie swallowed softly. "Do you know if she's coming tonight?"

She shook her head swiftly, as she tucked her memo pad into her apron and looked past to the door.

"No, she's not, she's sick. Sorry. I have to go," she rushed out before walking off.

Her heart felt like it was beating a mile a minute. If she weren't so young, she would have convinced herself she was actually having an _attack._

Damon's brows furrowed as he watched Bonnie stalk her way through the crowd and through the doors for the kitchen, before he turned his eyes to Stefan.

_What the hell was that about?_

His younger brother flashed him an amused grin before sipping his drink and licking his mouth.

"She's cute, Damon… but not gonna lie—a little bit weird. Like, _super _weird," Stefan said bluntly and Damon breathed in before reaching for his bourbon on the rocks that was next to his mic stand, and he sipped a healthy bit of it.

For once in his life, Stefan might have been right about something.

"You gonna ask her out?" Stefan asked after a bit of silence between the two, as Damon swirled his drink and finished it off. "I mean—you _do _like her, don't you?"

"I… got the teaching position, in the Sociology Department," Damon revealed and Stefan's eyes widened. "They called me… right before I got here and I… accepted it."

"That's great bro, congrats!" Stefan smiled happily as he hugged him and noticed Damon's lack of return in enthusiasm. "Or…not great, because… you like Bonnie?" Stefan asked and Damon sighed when his brother released the hug.

"It doesn't matter anyway. Whatever I sort of feel about Bonnie is irrelevant. I'm going to be her professor, come Monday."

Stefan sucked in a deep breath before placing a hand to Damon's shoulder and squeezing it tightly before looking into his eyes and offering his best look of sympathy.

"_Maybe you should try to make-out with her before it'll be frowned upon."_

XXXXX

Bonnie's hand shook as she began to try to type a text message to Rebekah, but failed as each tremor messed up her words and she had to delete everything to start all over again.

She sighed with tentative relief when she finally compiled her words correctly before hitting the send button.

_Where are you?_

After feeling whatever the hell it was that Stefan had done to her skin, all she wanted was to find her best friend and get the hell out of this place; _immediately._

Except the only problem was that Rebekah had disappeared at the most inopportune time, and she was stuck; pacing the backroom like a prostitute in church as she awaited _something _telling her where she had gone.

_Just so long as it was far away from here._

Whatever Bonnie had felt when Stefan touched her skin—it _scared _her. So much so, that she was willing to get fired and ditch the rest of her shift if it meant that she could get back to her dorm, safe and sound, without another moment of this at all.

Had her mind been playing tricks on her? Was he _really _as dangerous as her body made him _feel?_

She was jolted out of her thoughts when somebody knocked the door and Bonnie froze as she stared at it.

_It had to be Damon; he was the only one who'd seen her come back here._

"I'm busy!" she called back, as her hands fidgeted and she bit her lip. "And I don't have anything else to say to you. Okay?"

_Because she didn't; and she really hoped she wasn't going to have to deal with him _and _his brother in the same night. She just wanted to go home._

The door knocked again and Bonnie whipped around to face it; noticing the fact that the person on the other end hadn't replied to her words; leaving her to believe that it hadn't been Damon at all.

Was it Matt or maybe even Rebekah?

_Or had her recent fears come to life and it was Stefan?_

She raised her palm and took in another breath as she eyed the knob that was slowly beginning to turn and unlock itself the longer that she watched.

_It was safe to say whatever it was, it wasn't _human.

Bonnie summoned the small bout of power that she could manage and stood aimed at the entrance; ready to strike and attack, depending on who her visitor was.

She felt her fingers tingle as the door slowly creaked and then she let out a long gasp when it finally swung open; exposing the person in the frame with the wicked smile and a gleam in his eye that he knew all too well.

"Bonnie, darling," Kol said as he walked into the room. _"Have you missed me?_"

XXXXX

**A/N: Hey all! So yet another long chapter and I hope you all liked it! So sorry for the late updates; I wrote and rewrote this like 10 times (no joke) because I wanted to come up with the perfect pace with this story and I hope I'm not moving too fast or too slow for you to get into it. So leave me your thoughts on that. What did you think about Damon and Bonnie's scene in the beginning, and then Meredith? Yes, she is a witch, but what do you think her deal is? I promise to reveal more about her soon… Next, Rebekah and her ongoing feud with Caroline/quest to make it into the sorority… what do you think Tyler told Hayley? Does he still have our girl's secret under wraps? You'll see him again next chapter to find out. Katherine, Katherine, who was she talking to and what the hell do they want from her? …Lastly, Bonnie and Damon's talk, Matt's words, Stefan and Bonnie's meeting, and *gasp* Kol! What is he doing here? Why did Bonnie feel so frightened after touching Stefan? Was Matt right? And how will things change now that Damon will be Bonnie's **_**professor? **_**Only time will tell. Thank you all, once again for reading my fics and giving me the feedback that you do. It's like 2AM here in NY so I apologize for any typos—I'll fix them ASAP. In the meantime, read, review, enjoy and let me know what you think happens next? ;) Tata for now, lovies!**


	5. The Royal We

**The Royal We**

**A/N: There is a little bit of Greek Mythology in this one, but with a few skewed details to fit into the story. Enjoy. ;)**

"…_I can't help but feel guilty. Don't you feel just a little bit… _deceitful?"

Abby Bennett looked up from her glass of wine to meet the stark blue eyes of her best friend—Isobel Pierce—as the two sat in her living room, reading through ancient grimoires and keeping notes on the pages that pertained to the mission at hand.

Abby let out a deep sigh as she continued to flip the pages—though she felt Isobel's worrisome eyes blazing on her—and she cleared her throat before looking into them again.

"The girls are going to be fine," Abby reassured, in the tone that Sheila Bennett had given her this morning, when she herself questioned the validity of this plan and just how risky was, tossing the brand new witches into the flames. "I know that you're worried—about where we've sent them—"

"Mystic Falls, Virginia? Why, it's _only _the most underrated witch hunting capital in the United States," Isobel shot back as Abby's brown eyes simmered. "And The League _knew _that when they sent our daughters to practice there. They told us that if you, me, and Esther performed the ritual to raise Her, it would be enough; that _we _would be the ones to take care of those who wronged the witches in the past… _Nowhere _did they mention that Katherine, Bonnie, and Rebekah would be responsible—that they would be the ones to have to _kill._"

Abby remained silent as she watched the fire building in Isobel's cheeks as she sat before her.

She hadn't been entirely honest with Isobel the night that the three performed the spell out in the middle of the Salem woods, where they used an ancient chant bestowed upon them from The League, a pentagram, and a _prayer, _to reach The Goddess Diana, in hopes of hearing her sacred words.

They heard Diana, alright—loud and clear—and she called for the deaths of five very specific sacrifices—all of which—_surprisingly_—resided in Virginia.

_Mystic Falls, to be exact._

Mystic Falls had played an instrumental role in the Salem Witch Trials back in the day, but it wasn't _nearly _as lethal as what had been done in Massachusetts, itself, so that shocked the women.

As far they knew, there was a very small—_close to obsolete—_witch hunter population there; not nearly enough to take out a League, or even pose a real threat—_or so they thought._

So why did she want a bunch of novice witches—Bonnie, Katherine, and Rebekah—to be the ones to take them out?

What had they gotten their daughters into, exactly?

"Bonnie, Katherine, and Rebekah will be trained just as we were, Isobel—"Abby said, as she crossed her legs and rose her glass to her lips. "To be able to _fight _for what is rightfully theirs. Being within the midst of a few hunters—"

"A _few?" _Isobel asked, as she rose to her feet and folded her arms. "Are you _really _going to believe what they're telling us?"

"I'm going to believe in the fact that our daughters are strong, capable, and _worthy _of the position they have been put in… Gloria and Meredith are _excellent _teachers and with their guidance, I don't think that we'll have anything to worry about… The girls are _women _now, Isobel—and they are assets. And they _will _do what is right—even if it may cause a little bloodshed."

Isobel stared at Abby questioningly, before they both heard the click of a pair of heels entering the living room, slowly but assuredly.

She didn't have to turn around to know who it is, as the women took a seat next to Abby and instantly reached for a grimoire after pouring herself a glass of wine.

"_What'd I'd miss?"_

"Nothing at all—just discussing what comes next to keep our plan running in fluid motion," Abby replied before meeting Esther's deep chocolate eyes and noting her smile. "But something already tells me that you've figured out stage _two._"

Esther Mikaelson grinned softly before flipping through a few more pages and letting her index land on the Latin words on the page before her—her finger tapped the named that fell beneath _Diana _and looked up once more to meet both women's eyes. She licked her teeth callously.

"Is perhaps the one we're looking for the descendent of the great _Orion—_Lover of Diana?"

Abby bit her lip curiously as she met Esther's stare and narrowed her own in response.

"_Orion? _What would the _She _want with _Him? _She _killed _him."

"Perhaps to kill him again?" Esther asked as she sat up straighter, and took a sip of her drink. "No doubt the man must be _vengeful _after being slain by the very one he _loved—_perhaps they're still feuding from the Other Side. Can't say he didn't deserve it—he's the one who tried to execute her _first._"

Isobel finally rejoined the conversation at that—her blue eyes expanding as the moment went on.

"You think Orion's successor is still alive? That he is one of the five our girls have to kill?"

"I do," Esther said before she turned to face Abby; her eyes gleaming, all throughout. "And once we figure out which of _our_ three has been named the heir to _Diana… _I have a feeling that we'll know _exactly _who he is."

"She'll know him before he knows her—"Abby said gently, as her mind began to space into her thoughts, before glancing at the two again. "And she'll kill him—without a second thought."

"And when she does—it won't be long before the others crumble as well; before they _die _without their _leader… _And only then will Diana rise, again—to give us the power that ceased all upon her death. We will finally have access to everything that we want and desire, once _She _is here again."

As Esther and Abby clinked glasses, Isobel's eyes remained on the name on the page before them.

_Orion._

This would be all done and over with once the girls found _Orion._

"So, what do we do next? Do we know what he looks like? How can we help _them?_" Isobel asked. "How will he stand out?"

Esther pursed her lips as her index trailed over the page again; to the water in the illustration, and then the stars, before she glanced to the woman. They watched on silently.

"The water, the stars, the _name—_it all points towards _one _common denominator." Isobel and Abby's brows raised as they watched Esther, and she smiled when she realized she was the only one to figure it out. "_Blue. Orion Blue…_ Whoever finds him first won't be able to miss it."

XXXXX

"Kol?" Bonnie asked with wide eyes, as the warlock advanced before her, with a genuine smile on her face. "What are you—"

Her words were stopped with a kiss, as Kol's mouth planted to hers, and her back pressed against the line of lockers in the employee back room at the Mystic Grill.

Bonnie's words were muffled for a second, as she felt her boyfriend's hand slide against her waist, and her eyes close as they sunk deeper and deeper into the kiss that shook her, all the way down to her core.

She felt her protests become a mere _hum_ by the time Kol's warm lips parted from hers and her eyes fluttered open to see his brazen smile, as he gazed in unapologetically in her direction.

Bonnie felt a grin form at her lips as his fingers tucked her hair behind her ear, and he continued to hold her closely around the waist—her skin heating up just by his touch.

"Did you miss me?" he asked bluntly and Bonnie laughed softly as she shook her head with a smirk.

"_Of course not._"

Kol smiled again before he leaned and met her mouth once more; this time, with more appetite and less bashful regard, as his fingers grazed just at the rim of her shorts before he shamelessly tried to dip a hand in.

Bonnie pushed him away immediately as she gave him a stern eye.

"I'm at work, remember?" she gestured to her uniform and Kol answered with a peeved expression at that. "What are doing here? How did you even get here?"

"I'm here for _you, _obviously," Kol said, as he placed his hands in the pockets of his forest green field jacket and Bonnie's eyes watched him intently. "I got a flight and called Katherine to pick me up from the airport once I landed… It's a wonder the girl was home and isn't drunk already."

Bonnie folded her arms with a sigh as she stared at him sternly; Kol offered an apologetic grin.

"Don't talk about Katherine that way," she said tiredly, as he raised his hands defenselessly. "Second—you're missing baseball training camp to be here; you're gonna get in a lot of trouble if you screw up your scholarship, Kol. Third—why didn't tell me? Does Rebekah know? Why was this a surprise?"

"Because I knew exactly how you'd behave if I warned you; so many questions, love," he said as Bonnie narrowed her eyes. "You'd likely have my flight grounded in California if you could and I wasn't going to let that happen. My sister, too… And about the baseball… They won't miss me—I told them I just needed a few days off—"

"It's your _future _on the line, Kol—"

"Does my 'future' mean a thing if you're not in it?" he asked, as Bonnie pressed her mouth shut. Kol's hands landed in hers, and he smiled demurely as their fingers formed over one another's; Bonnie didn't even return so much as a smile. "C'mon, Bon… Are you _really _that unhappy to see me?"

"I'm not unhappy," she said quickly before taking in a deep breath and shaking her head. "I just—I wasn't expecting to, so soon. And you caught me off guard; and I'm a little mad at you for blowing everything off at school just to see _me._"

"But you're happy also, right?" Kol tilted her chin up and peered into her eyes. "You're happy to see me, even if it's only for two days?"

Bonnie reluctantly smiled as he went in for another kiss—this time, met with much less resistance and a lot more heat, as her smile radiated against his mouth and her laugh echoed in his ear when he wrapped his arms around her.

It felt good to have Kol back—no matter _what _she said, and she was more than thrilled to be able to spend some time with him; even if it was just 48 hours.

Their mouths finally separated again and Bonnie sighed as he gave her the once over before cracking smile.

"So, a _waitress, _huh?"

"Don't start," she said pointedly, as Kol bit his lip and inspected her legs in the standard black Mystic Grill shorts. "It's what I have to wear here."

"Will you wear it for me tonight?" he asked as he eased in and Bonnie pursed her lips. "Assuming you _want _to take me back to your dorm, instead of banishing me to the bed and breakfast I'm supposed to be staying at."

Bonnie rolled her eyes at that as her hands met her hips and her foot tapped against the ground.

"The last thing Rebekah and Katherine _want _to hear is us having sex—trust me; your sister has reamed me plenty of times for it," she said as Kol grinned. "If you want to spend the night together, I'll stay with _you. _It makes more sense."

"Fine. Whatever you say, Bonnie. Let's go now then," he winked, as she shoved his arms and caught the wicked gleam in his eye.

She _really, really _missed him.

"I'm in the middle of a shift," she said, as Kol pouted and she began to head towards the door, though the reminder of Stefan and his heart-stopping touch blared directly back into her mind. "I, uhm… I can't leave."

"But you want to."

"Stop," Bonnie warned as Kol met her eyes. "The auction is just a few more hours. I promise we'll have alone time as soon as I'm off and ready and willing for you to whisk me away," she said firmly, although she was expertly masking the fear in her voice as she thought about facing Stefan Salvatore again. "Just be patient."

"I don't know what patience is, Bonnie."

"_Clearly," _she replied, as the two finally walked out of the back room and made their way back into the main restaurant where Damon's band had just finished another song and the crowd was cheering happily as they all watched on.

She evaded her stare from the man on the stage before she placed a finger to Kol's chest, while he stared into her eyes.

"Find Rebekah, play raffle—keep yourself entertained. I have a job to do, and I can't have you distracting me. Alright?"

Kol pouted again and Bonnie did nothing to mask her irritation with the huge brown puppy eyes he was giving her. She didn't budge. Especially not when she saw Stefan still at the bar, drinking with his friends and having a merry time, as if he hadn't felt anything at all.

She cleared her throat.

She knew what _she _felt and her intuition told her it wasn't _good—_but the last thing she needed was hot-headed Kol getting involved, before she even knew what it all meant.

Kol would tear Stefan apart, limb by limb just for _looking _at Bonnie. And she didn't want that, obviously.

She wanted to handle this herself, if she could—she wanted to get answers all on her own.

"But I'm so _cute,_" Kol winked, as Bonnie shooed him off and he bit his lip. "How long until you say I should find you?"

"Two more hours, at least," she said as he frowned. "Play nice."

"Or something like that," Kol sang before he walked away and Bonnie let out a breath she had been holding in for entirely too long once the dark-haired man disappeared from sight.

She needed to figure out just what the hell she felt when she was around Stefan, and it'd be much easier to be inconspicuous about it if her overbearing boyfriend wasn't hovering over her every move.

Bonnie straightened up as she saw Stefan still standing at the bar—taking back a shot of Jameson with his group of friends, before he slammed his shot glass back on the counter and laughed wholeheartedly at whatever joke was going around amongst the fraternity's men.

She moved through the crowd swiftly—her eyes focused on him as she went—until finally, her palm was resting on his shoulder and he was spinning around to meet her.

The feeling in the pit of her stomach from before never appeared, though; and Bonnie blinked quickly to think of just what the hell her excuse for touching him was as his outrageously beautiful green eyes stared into hers and she cleared her throat anxiously.

Stefan offered a smile as he gazed her way.

"Hey Bonnie," he said softly. He drunkenly studied her eyes, before flashing a charming grin. "Shot?"

Bonnie almost choked on her words as she shook her head 'no,' and Stefan watched on as the girl became increasingly flustered under her imaginary pressure.

"I'm, uh—working," she said. "It's kind of frowned upon."

"Oh, yeah."

Bonnie licked her tongue over her mouth casually as Stefan continued to look into her eyes—steadily ignoring the requests for attention from his friends; instead, giving all of his devotion to her.

Had it _really _been in her head what she felt before, when she brushed against his skin? Was it just her own fright or overreactions to being stuck in such a socially demanding situation that she just _freaked _and _thought _she felt something?

It seemed more and more likely so, as she and Stefan continued to glare at one another quietly, before Stefan was the one to lean in towards her this time; his mouth close to her ear, and his palm rested on her shoulder as he spoke.

"Is this about Damon?" he asked.

Bonnie pulled back immediately as she stared at him wide-eyed; confused, more than anything, as Stefan remained genuinely curious before she drew him back and replied straight into his ear.

"What? Why would you say that?"

Stefan paused for a moment; as he presumably glanced at his older brother on stage before leaning in closer to Bonnie and speaking as subtly as he possibly can, without skipping over the point.

There seriously were _no holds barred _when it came to Stefan Salvatore.

"I think you two like each other… Don't you?"

Bonnie's stomach knotted at that as she immediately shoved the image of Damon and their first meeting in the quad out of her mind—replacing it with Kol, and the kisses he'd given her moments ago.

Bonnie shook her head as Stefan heard her out.

"I have a boyfriend."

"_Doesn't mean you're not into my brother."_

Bonnie's eyes widened at that as she turned to face Stefan again and he sipped his drink shamelessly as he looked into her eyes. _Clearly _Stefan didn't have a problem with deceitfulness, infidelity, and all that jazz—he _was _the one that sounded to be a lot more accepting of Damon's dad and his apparent shady proposal to his fiancé, just moments after divorcing their mother, according to a comment Damon made when they were in his car one night. Not to mention, Stefan had been audacious enough to ask _her _where Katherine was, _just moments before, _when it was clear to anyone with a pulse and eyeballs that he was still _very much _in a relationship with Caroline Forbes.

Not a very _committed one, _albeit, a union.

And she didn't know the details of him and Caroline's relationship other than Damon calling it a bit "open," but that didn't mean that she hadn't felt the slight inclination to judge anyway.

Stefan was a bit of a life-ruiner, in her opinion. He was just one of those insanely hot guys who went around, flaunting their looks and making things harder for everybody else around him just because he knew his charm could get him by. He used it to get woman—even though he couldn't commit to one—and he seemed to pride himself on the fact that he just didn't care if anyone knew what his true intentions were with them.

For fucks sake, not even his _girlfriend _cared—why did Bonnie Bennett feel like the only one bothered by his behavior?

Bonnie licked her tongue over her teeth and shook her head strongly as she looked into Stefan's eyes—he stared at her expectantly.

"I know that… _your _protocol is to be a little bit on the _loose end, _but please don't mistake that for being _mine. _I love Kol—okay? And he's the _only _person that I'm going to be with. I'm not involved with Damon _that way _and I never will be. Got it?"

Stefan remained still at that, though the faint traces of a smile hit his lips the longer that they stared at one another. Bonnie felt her cheeks warming just by looking at him and he gently placed a hand on her arm again—the sizzling sensation from before never happening once more.

Bonnie felt totally and completely _delusional._

"I'm sorry I offended you," Stefan said simply, as he met her eyes and Bonnie swallowed hard. "I'm… a little bit drunk. And as you say—a bit more… _open, _with my relationship with Caroline. I know everyone isn't the way that we are—just trying to still enjoy as many things and people as we can, even though we're dating each other but I—sometimes I just forget. And I apologize. I didn't mean to make you feel weird about it."

Bonnie inhaled a deep breath as she inhaled the true sincerity behind Stefan's eyes and she nodded.

She _had _seen him drinking quite heavily since he got here, and even though it was a dick move not being able to control his filter, she knew that people made mistakes sometimes.

Just as long as he didn't make that same mistake again.

"It's… fine," Bonnie confirmed with a nod of her head, as she watched Damon's band hop off the stage out of the corner of her eye. "I get it—"

"I know," he interrupted, as he stared at her; shamelessly investigated her as she stood before him with crossed arms. "But I'm still sorry and it was really uncalled for. And I—Can I make it up to you, Bonnie? Tonight?"

Her eyes widened at that.

"Not like _that, _relax," Stefan interjected and Bonnie sighed. "I meant that I wanted to invite you somewhere—to a 'gathering' maybe. At my friend Hayley's house… A few of us are getting together after the auction to hang out and it'd be cool to see you there."

Bonnie thought back to her promise to Kol—to hang out _alone_—and she shook her head.

"I can't tonight—I have plans."

"So, bring your plans to Hayley's, Bonnie—what's the big deal?" Stefan asked, as Bonnie followed his hands towards the pad and paper that sat in her pouch. He scribbled down the address before handing it back to her. "This is college—and there aren't going to be very many hurrahs before the semester starts up, again. Why not end the summer with a bang?"

Before Bonnie could offer a response, Damon was back—with an anxious look on his face that only seemed more perturbed by the second as he looked at his brother and then over towards Bonnie.

Stefan placed a calming hand on Damon's shoulder as he met his eyes and shook him hearteningly.

"Hey Damon, what's up? Something wrong?"

"You tell me, Stefan," the blue-eyed man snapped back as his brother followed his point to the middle of the crowd before shooting back to his eyes again. "Do you see who I see? With _your _girlfriend?"

Stefan's brows furrowed the moment he caught sight of his own girlfriend, standing next to none other than Damon's _ex-_girlfriend—McKayla; laughing, smiling, and taking pictures of themselves so admittedly, no one would have ever suspected that McKayla had been gone missing from Mystic Falls for well over a year.

It'd actually been a _few _years.

Stefan turned back towards a livid Damon and he held both hands in the air apologetically as he met his eyes. His little brother chewed his lip tirelessly before offering a response.

"I'd like to preface this conversation by saying I had _no _idea she was coming back, Damon—or that she'd be here."

"Bullshit, Stefan! Caroline obviously knew and your little girlfriend tells you _everything. _So, _don't _lie to me about this!"

"Damon—"

"I'm leaving," he announced lowly before stalking away and Stefan started after him; only to be stopped by Bonnie's hand to his arm, as the girl donned an exasperated but determined look on her face.

"Maybe… I should go, see how he's doing," she said.

Bonnie watched the pure dissatisfaction in Stefan's eyes that he wouldn't be the one to be able to soothe his brother's wounds, but he nodded anyway; he agreed to let Bonnie go after Damon anyway, because he knew it was for the best.

He also knew he risked a broken jaw if he followed Damon where he was not welcome, and he loved his brother—_but not so much to have his mouth wired shut because of his bad temper._

"I'll text you," Bonnie promised—flashing the paper he had given her with Hayley's address on it from before; it donned his phone number as well. "I promise."

Stefan nodded silently as Bonnie walked off; hope and despair never dissipating from his eyes, until the girl was out of sight and he was on the move.

Stefan made his way through the crowd of people and towards Caroline and McKayla who were laughing and smiling so wholeheartedly, before he felt a hand grab his that completely stopped him in his tracks.

When he turned around, a pair of round, russet eyes met his with as salacious glare that only served to make his heart jump yet simultaneously skip a beat.

_And Christ, she looked even better than she had the last time he saw her._

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was interrupting something," Katherine purred, as her fingers crawled against Stefan's skin and she nodded towards his girlfriend and the pretty brunette who stood by her side. "Should I let you go?"

Stefan smirked at that; completely letting his gaze roam over Katherine's body appreciatively, as she was clad in a tight black v-neck and a pair of cut-off shorts—her curls running wild. He licked his lips before meeting her eyes again and offered a touch of his own, as his hand sunk to her waist and he leaned into her ear.

"Miss Katherine, how nice to see you again."

"Don't say that so loudly; no one knows I'm here. I'd like to keep it that way."

"I thought you weren't coming."

"_I haven't, yet. I was hoping you could take care of that."_

Stefan laughed at the innuendo in that before following Katherine's lead back out of the crowd and sneakily through the back entrance to the grill; though if he were honest, he didn't have anything to hide when it came to what he wanted from her anyway.

_He just liked to pretend it was the World's Best Kept Secret._

Katherine slammed Stefan against the brick wall in the back of the restaurant, by the shadows, and she pressed her hand to his throat as she tipped on her heel. Stefan watched in deep fascination as Katherine trailed her free hand down Stefan's body—stopping just short of his belt buckle as he looked into her eyes.

It was safe to say that he was _intrigued._

"Are you deciding if you should kiss me or kill me?" Stefan asked, as he noticed the hardening pressure of her fingers wrapped at his throat, mixed with the steady decline of space between them, as he mouth neared his. "Because I think you know what I'd prefer."

"I know what you prefer," Katherine said, as she removed his belt from the loops—still peering into his eyes. "But it depends on what you can do for _me."_

"_Anything,"_ he answered and Katherine laughed darkly. "I'll do _anything._"

"You didn't even hear the question."

Stefan waited as Katherine flicked the button of his jeans open, before meeting his eyes again and releasing him entirely from his hold; she didn't increase the distance between them, however. And the room to breathe in the air felt shallower by the moment.

_Just the way Katherine liked it._

"My best friend, Rebekah, is rushing your dear little girlfriend's club, and to be quite honest—I don't think she has much of a chance… She's ungraceful, a little brash, and condescendingly _rude._"

"Ruder than _you?_"

"If it's possible, yes," Katherine replied, as Stefan's green eyes blinked softly. "But she really wants to be sorority _bitch, _and because she's my best friend—"

"You want her to get what she wants," he filled in as Katherine nodded. "What's in it for you?"

"Don't worry about that, Katherine said, as his brows rose and relaxed all at once. "All I need you to do is get Rebekah into Sigma Omega Phi… No questions asked, and none of the details led back to me. Talk your girlfriend into it—fuck her into oblivion; I don't care. Do what you have to do to make sure that Rebekah not only gets to pledge, but is awarded with her pin."

Stefan nodded at that as he bit his lip and Katherine twirled one of her hypnotic curls.

"And what's in it for me?"

"You _know _what's in it for you," Katherine smirked, much to Stefan's delight. "But you'll just have to wait until this is all over to collect your grand prize," she winked as she began to walk away.

Katherine was instantly tugged back into place by Stefan's hand, as _her _back now landed against the brick and the two switched places quicker than the blink of an eye.

Katherine looked deeply into Stefan's eyes as he pulled her in by the waist and pressed his thumbs so deeply into her sides, she believed he was actually branding her.

Stefan tilted his head with a grin.

"_I _may have to wait for the 'grand prize,'" he said, before his fingers unbuttoned and unzipped her cutoffs—hands smoothing over her baby soft skin, "But you _did _say you were hoping I could take care of a problem you were having _right now… _And if it's okay with you, I'd like to do just that," Stefan whispered.

Katherine let out a groan the minute Stefan's lips landed against hers and his index and middle finger shoved deeply beyond her underwear.

Her eyes snapped shut the moment his tongue glided across her mouth, and her leg wrapped around his waist as he continued—pushing harder and faster as her back moved along the wall and his mouth muffled her sounds.

She knew what she was getting into with Stefan; sexing Rebekah's way into Sigma Omega Phi, but in the end, Katherine convinced herself it'd be worth it.

Once Rebekah was pinned, Caroline was gone, and complete control seemingly fell to _her, _she'd be able to do, have, and behave whichever way that she wanted through her delegates.

_Witches, nature and the balance, be damned._

Once everything was set into line, and things were set into place, she couldn't be _his _victim anymore. _He _wouldn't be able to scare her, manipulate her, or much less _touch her, _the way that he had and she would be free of her personal despot and transgressor, once and for all.

_She would be free of him._

Katherine clutched onto Stefan's neck even tighter, as the hairs on her skin began to rise and his mouth enveloped her collar bone; nipping at the skin and kissing at her throat.

She sighed with relief.

_Not only would she be free of him, but someone else would be, too; the only other person besides Rebekah who actually mattered to her more than she believed she mattered to herself._

Bonnie.

_Kol Mikaelson's death would save Bonnie Bennett._

XXXXX

"Damon!" Bonnie called in the dark, as her palms cupped at her mouth and she squinted her eyes to grant her vision in the night. "Damon, _are you out here?_"

There was no response, as Bonnie let out a sigh and continued walk down the marbled path a few feet away from The Grill—the sounds of the music and the auctioneer inside fading away, with each and every step that she took.

She stopped and placed her hands at her sides.

This was fucking _hopeless._

She had been looking for this dumbass for at least twenty minutes with no avail—he shut off his cell phone and wasn't answering to her vocal pages, though she was positive that he had to be still hiding around here _somewhere._

After all, he left his beloved blue Camaro in the parking lot at the Grill, as well as his precious guitar behind with the band—and according to them, he didn't trust _anybody _with that.

So Damon was here—she was sure of it.

He was just being a dumbass, was all. A bit of a bad-mannered one, too, considering the fact that he was definitely up for auction with the rest of the guys selling their sex away, and he was around here somewhere; letting down a charity because he was pissed off about an ex-girlfriend.

She'd have to remind him of that the minute she yelled at him for this one.

"Damon!" Bonnie called again, as she continued to follow the trail into the woods—the cobblestone now turning to dirt beneath her sneakers. "I don't have the fucking time for this! You're the one who got me hired at the Grill and now, you're gonna get me _fired. _Good going, you _dumbass_!"

Bonnie huffed as she placed her hands in the pocket of her apron before she jumped when she heard a definite noise come from behind her.

She spun around quickly to see where the disturbance came from but she wasn't awarded with the answer that she wanted—A.K.A, _Damon—_when she saw a squirrel scale a large oak tree and rattle a few branches at the top, as his clumsy ass landed on the bark.

Bonnie rolled her eyes and ticked her jaw.

_This was the kind of shit that got folks murdered in horror films. Maybe it was time to turn back and cut her losses._

Bonnie breathed with defeat as she pulled out her cell phone, and began to text Stefan at the number that her gave her—prefacing her message with the fact that she cared; she really did—but his brother was an idiot and a drama king, who would turn up sooner or later. Alive, for sure, too.

_She hoped._

Bonnie was ready to hit _send _when she heard another rustle come from beyond the woods; this time, it _definitely _couldn't have been that squirrel, because it was much louder—_much closer_—than the ruckus before and surely heading her way this time, too.

Bonnie's instincts immediately told her to _run _and she did—as her feet pounded against the ground so quickly, she thanked her father, Rudy, mentally for urging her to join the track club that one year, even though she told him she'd be no good.

She lied—because she was great, and now those skills were being put to good use, as she darted through trees and hopped over rocks in the darkness, like she was doing it in her sleep.

_Whatever _was back there could fuck off, because it wasn't getting her today.

Or ever. She planned to stay out of these woods _forever._

Bonnie's body stopped when she felt a hand swing her around so strongly, she was almost so paralyzed from fear that she forgot to scream.

The delayed reaction was better late than never though, as she let out a bloodcurdling screech before a hand pressed hard against her mouth and her body was backed up into a nearby tree.

She continued—though her efforts were muffled against the palm—until finally her eyes opened and came into focus with the person standing before her—

_Better yet, the _jackass _that she should have seen coming, in the midst of this all._

His bright blue eyes shone brilliantly beneath the pale moon light as he still held her against the wood and Bonnie did the only thing she _could _think to do once she saw the innate relief in his stare, just as he was about to let her go.

_She bit him. Hard._

"Ow, what the _fuck, _Bonnie?!" Damon howled, as he jumped out of the girl's space quicker than a man on fire and hissed as he cradled his palm that was easily indented with the sculpture of her _teeth._

Damon shot Bonnie a fiery glance as she wiped her mouth with the back of her palm; his eyes resembling hot coal, as his anger rang entirely through.

"You just fucking _bit me!_" he yelled.

"You scared me!" she screamed back, as her brows knitted and her arms crossed hard beneath her chest. "You deserved it!"

"Alright, Mike Tyson!" he shot back, as he shook his hand that still throbbed with pain, before Bonnie stalked up to him once more and uncrossed her arms just long enough to gift him with a smack to the back of the head.

Damon yelled again before whipping around to face the enraged girl and he stuck both palms forward to keep her away.

"Okay, _enough_," he said as Bonnie gazed at him with frustration all the while. "What are you going for? The K.O? What the hell are you doing out here, anyway? This isn't _Goldilocks and the Three Bears, _honey."

"Shut up," Bonnie said between her teeth as she pointed her index at him and fumed, while he continued to stare at her. "I'm out here because I came to _look_ for you, you asshole. And instead of just being a _normal _person and answering my calls, you basically _ambushed _me."

"What? I didn't _ambush _you, Bonnie—I saw you running! I wanted to stop you and make sure you were okay! And clearly, you're fine—you attacked me."

"I don't have time for this," Bonnie threw both her hands up in the air as she turned on her heel to walk away and Damon rubbed the stinging at the back of his head. "Just text Stefan, and let him know you're okay—I have to get back to my job that _you _got me at that Grill that's holding the charity auction that _you're _ditching!"

Damon watched on as Bonnie continued to stomp away and he swallowed his pride and followed her through the trees, up the hill, and back to the trail where the cobblestone appeared once more.

She was still ignoring him though; despite the fact that his footsteps were less than three feet away from hers and he couldn't say he blamed her for that. On top of all the drama they had already tonight, he really—unintentionally— scared the shit out of her, and it was painstakingly obvious that someone like Bonnie Bennett didn't deal with fear all that well.

She loathed it, it seemed—and she hated the appearance of being weak, scared, or afraid of anything. It was something that he could tell about her just by talking to her more, and even if he was treating her like she was having a bad overreaction, he completely understood—because he was that way too.

Damon hated not having the upper hand at all times; it was the reason he was so pissed that McKayla was here—he was completely unprepared for it.

The moment Bonnie's feet landed against the pavement leading to the Grill, his hand stopped her again—this time, much gentler, as it held her in her tracks and Bonnie sighed with annoyance when Damon moved to face her.

Her green eyes were full of as much distress as before and Damon scratched his chin quickly before he cleared his throat.

He might as well thank her for looking for him.

"Thank you for trying to find me."

"I did it for Stefan," she lied; it burned anyway.

"I don't care—thank you," he repeated, as he looked into her eyes and Bonnie pursed her lips. "I appreciate it and I—I'm _apologetic _that I scared the crap out of you."

Bonnie snorted at that as her hands landed on her hips and Damon bit his lip.

"_Apologetic?"_

"You get the point."

"No, I don't," Bonnie answered starkly, as she studied his eyes. "Why the hell are you so _mad _about your ex-girlfriend being here, anyway? "

"It's personal," Damon shot back, as Bonnie shook her head. "And I don't wanna talk about it."

Bonnie rolled her eyes tiredly, before holding up both hands and shaking her head.

"Fine. Suit yourself. You can explain this entire thing to Meredith, I guess. Since you two are…" her words trailed off and stopped, once she noticed the confusion in his stare.

Bonnie licked her teeth as he stepped in, with a raised brow.

"We're _what?"_

Bonnie shrugged softly as she continued to stare into Damon's eyes and silence passed between them. She knew what she thought and though she had no business commenting on it, for some reason, she couldn't control herself. She felt almost _compelled _to make a statement, and she couldn't understand why.

She didn't really get it, at all.

"Nothing," Bonnie replied. "I don't know what I thought," she lied and Damon scoffed.

"You thought I was dating her?" he asked sharply. "You… assumed something was going on with _Meredith?_"

"Is there?" she asked starkly, and she bit her lip again. "You know what? _Don't _answer that," she said as she started on her heel and Damon stopped her again.

Bonnie huffed when she met his curious stare. Why the hell couldn't she stop herself from talking so goddamn much?

"I will answer that, because you're wrong," he said seriously, as Bonnie straightened up, and her arms tightened over her frame. "I'm not _screwing _around with Meredith, okay? She's a friend. Just like I… _thought _we were friends… Why do you even care, anyway? I mean—there's Kol, right?"

Bonnie pressed her lips at that before digging her sneaker into the ground; never dropping her gaze from his eyes. She honestly didn't know why she cared so much, or why she was being so crazy about it because it was true—there _was _Kol, and whatever the hell Damon was doing was none of her concern. Her boyfriend was _here, _and still, she had this uncontrollable desire to question Damon, though she had no reason to.

What was wrong with her?

"Yeah," she said simply, as Damon followed her stare, and he shoved both hands into the denim pockets of his jeans. "I guess I just… wanted to know why you were so upset. And I figured if you already had someone _new, _your ex-girlfriend shouldn't matter, you know?"

Damon nodded at that, as her olive eyes shone and he shrugged lightly before letting out a sigh.

"Sometimes things aren't that cut and dry, Bennett… Sometimes things are… _complicated," _he said.

_Like the fact that I'm going to be your _professor, _he thought._

"Bonnie, I—"he started again, only to be interrupted by a stark-raving _mad _Caroline Forbes, whose face was redder than tomatoes as she stomped in their directions with her hands in the air.

_Uh oh._

"What the actual _fuck, _Damon? You _do _know that you're up for auction, tonight, right? Where the hell have you been?" she yelled as he left out a breath in exasperation.

Caroline's eyes inspected Bonnie silently before she turned her attention back to the man before them, and tapped her foot angrily.

She wanted answers and she wanted them _now, _it seemed.

"I lost track of time," he lied. "What time does it start, again?"

"Don't bullshit me," she said firmly and Damon ticked his jaw. "Between you and your brother, tonight, I don't have the patience."

"That makes two of us," Damon feigned a smile as her hand landed on her hips. "Nice job inviting McKayla, by the way. I'm _really _happy that you know me so well and decided that the number one thing I'd want to do tonight is rehash the past with my ex."

"Oh, give me a break, Damon. With all the _hell _that you and your family has put her through, the least you can do is be _decent _to her. Your _bullshit _is what ran her out of the country anyway!"

There was a sudden silence between the two, as they realized Bonnie was still standing there quietly; an easy expression on her face as they aired their dirty laundry and _then _some.

Bonnie swallowed hard when she realized she was _completely _out of place still being here, and she chalked up a smile as she attempted to verbalize her exit.

"I should go—"

"No, _stay,_ I'm leaving," Caroline snapped, as she looked into Damon's eyes longingly, before bouncing over to Bonnie's and studying them, for a second longer than she should have. Caroline cleared her throat and broadened her shoulders as Bonnie stared back. "Good luck, with him. You'll need it."

When Caroline walked away, Bonnie let out the breath she had been holding in, before she turned to face Damon, who was wearing a look of exhaustion in his eyes as he watched the blonde disappearing into the night; her heels clicking loudly against the ground.

Bonnie snapped out of her daze when she heard a pair of keys jingle—only to see that Damon's were in his hand, as he prepared to walk to his car. She stopped him by the arm.

"Damon—"

"Fuck this," he said plainly, as Bonnie pressed her lips and he looked to the ground before finding his way back up to her eyes. "Have a good night, Bonnie. I'll see you around."

Damon turned and walked away with no other words, and Bonnie watched on alone—as the mixture of his footsteps departing and the sounds of the music inside filled her ears, one after the other.

She wanted to go after him; stop him, like he stopped her—but she feared it wasn't a smart idea.

_No. It would be the _worst _idea, actually._

Because then she would be knee deep in a bunch of shit she just wasn't ready to deal with, yet; or ever.

_Shit she didn't want to deal with at all._

Like the fact that she was unwilling to let herself admit that she couldn't bear to see him hurt; that she _cared _about this stranger, much more than she should have, and it was taking everything in her not to chase him, stop him, and _keep him here, _despite the good decision that he'd made to leave.

Because if she let herself admit that, she just didn't _know _what else would come next.

_Better yet, she did; she _knew _what would be the result. And God help her if she even let it get that far._

XXXXX

Bonnie let out a sharp moan as her back slammed against the bed, and Kol's hands pinned her at the shoulders, while his mouth dug into her chest.

Her eyes closed completely as a soft smile curled at her lips, before another moan escaped; much to his enjoyment and happy surprise.

Having sex with Bonnie sometimes meant enjoying a one-and-done, as the girl made up a thousand and one excuses as to why they should _stop _doing it, though he regularly convinced her into going all night, anyway.

She just didn't have the same sexual appetite that he did, he realized; though she'd made it a habit of giving in and complying, just so she'd satisfy _him. _

But not tonight; tonight, _Bonnie _was the one taking the reins and calling the shots, as he recalled her eagerly undressing him first in the space at the bed and breakfast and proceeding to _pounce _on him, as if it'd been _years _since the last time he saw her.

And he didn't mind at all.

In fact, he considered it a _much _bigger turn-on than she even knew, and he was happy that the two were finally on the same page when it came to their sexual activities. He just hoped nothing would change by the time his next visit rolled around.

Kol rolled onto his back as Bonnie landed on top of him, and he gripped at her thighs as she moved; basking in the sight of her sexy curves and smirking at just how focused she was at finishing this.

Bonnie had always been a "take charge" sort of person, but tonight, even more so.

Something had awakened her, and though he didn't know what it was, he was thankful for it.

He _loved _whatever the hell had gotten into her, besides _him. _And call it cocky, arrogant, or egotistical, but he _needed _to know that his presence was the reason, and what affected her this way.

He wanted her to swallow her pride and _admit _that his coming here was the best thing to happen to her, because it was.

Kol believed _he _was the best thing to ever come into her life.

Bonnie groaned when Kol moved their positions, and her long brown hair whipped back before he curled it into a fist. She let out a deep sigh as his lips kissed down her bare back and his mouth made its way back up to her ear.

"_Bonnie."_

She squeezed her eyes even tighter as he moved and curled her toes, as her chest glided back and forth across the mattress.

"_Yes?_"

"Say it," he whispered into her ear. "Tell me what I want to hear."

Bonnie's head nodded, as she continued to lose herself in the uncontrollable bliss, as Kol's hands gripped at her waist and his body grinded down into hers. She felt almost dizzy when his fingers trailed up her stomach and to her neck—he held her tightly at the chin and kissed along the lobe of her ear.

When his fingers brushed along her mouth she bit them.

He howled in pain.

"_No_," she answered as his brows rocketed, and he was on his back again; her hands dug into his chest.

Kol smirked at that before leaning up to meet her lips, and Bonnie's hands captured his face immediately, as he engulfed her in a fiery kiss. She closed her eyes as her tongue tangled with his, and her teeth tugged at his bottom lip before he pulled back to attack her neck.

Bonnie grinned as she held him in tightly, and Kol whispered words along her skin, while her nails dug into his.

"_You're enjoying this," _he said.

"Be quiet."

"_I'm glad you're finally embracing your inner sex-goddess."_

"Stop talking."

"_Why, Bennett? There's nothing to be ashamed of."_

"For the love of God, shut up, _Damon._"

Kol's mouth stopped immediately as he pulled away from her skin and Bonnie slowly opened her olive eyes to meet his.

His brown orbs stared at her with thinly veiled fury and she only gazed back at him confusedly as silence passed between them.

_Did she do something wrong?_

"You know I was joking, right? When I told you to shut up?"

"Were you also joking when you called me by another man's _name?_"

Bonnie's eyes slowly widened at that and she let out a short laugh until she realized he was serious.

She did _what_?

"Kol—"

"Hello, welcome! I'm glad to see you know who you're with now," he said angrily, as Bonnie climbed off of him and he instantly hopped out of bed and grabbed his t-shirt. "It's nice and all, but just a little bit too late."

"Kol, I-I don't know what you're talking about—"

"Damon?" he replied, as all of the color drained from her face and he pulled on his boxers. "Does the name _Damon _ring a bell? Who the _hell _is _he?_"

Bonnie shook her head furiously as she watched Kol walking back and forth, and she swallowed hard before pulling on her bra and underwear that he quickly tossed her way.

The wrath in his glare never fleeting.

"_Kol—_"

"_Who _is he?" he yelled, as her heart leapt out of her chest and her fingers tightened against his sheets. "And why the _hell _were you thinking about him?"

"I don't know! I don't know, Kol—I just. The words came out _wrong. _Damon and I—it isn't like that_—_"

"Yeah, I bet," he replied cynically, as his tongue licked across his teeth. "I think you should leave. Now. Before this becomes even worse."

"Kol, I'm _not _leaving you," Bonnie said, as she rose to her feet, and glared into his enraged eyes. "I don't know where my head was at. Or why I said that. But I didn't mean it! I'm here with _you_—"

"All while you'd rather be elsewhere," he stated firmly, and she frowned. "So please; do us _both _the favor and let's call it a night… Unless you want me to _find _this pathetic, _human, _Damon fellow you seem to be so fond of, and _snap _his fucking neck."

Bonnie shook her head as she stared at him, but she didn't combat that.

She didn't doubt that he was completely serious.

"Fine, if that's what you want," Bonnie swallowed as he turned towards his bed and gathered her things. "But we have to talk, Kol. Tomorrow, maybe—"

"I think I'll be taking the early flight back," he said, as he spun back around to face her. Kol dropped Bonnie's things into her arms, and she sighed with defeat. "You can see yourself out."

Bonnie chewed the inside of her mouth and reluctantly pulled on her clothes, before going over to her bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

She'd call Katherine to pick her up, once she was downstairs and outside. For now, he clearly just needed her to leave. And for the first time in her life, he _actually _wanted that—it was the first time he _didn't _want to be anywhere near her.

She didn't blame him; she fucked up _bad._

She sent him one last look of apology before walking towards the door; the sound of Kol's fingers tapping against his skin was the only thing to fill the room.

Bonnie believed she'd never seen him so angry.

"I'm sorry," she said, as she turned to face him, before her fingers twisted at the door knob. "I'm _really _sorry."

Kol let out an incredulous laugh as he met her eyes, and Bonnie felt her throat tighten when he appeared right before her; his voice dark and calloused.

"You should be," he answered, as he searched her eyes before shaking his head furiously. "Not only are you _waitress _at some crap diner in the middle of nowhere, but you've gone off and found yourself some _human boy _to get attached to… That's just about the most pitiful part about it all."

Bonnie bit her lip as anger now flushed beneath her skin and her fists tightened. It was one thing to be angry about her _mistake. _But taking past that? Now her blood was starting to _boil._

"I'm sorry if I wanna do something for _myself, _instead of depending on our families for _everything_!" she yelled back as she watched him in the door. "And Damon? We're just _friends, _Kol. I'm not attached; there's nothing _pitiful _about that—"

"You keep telling yourself that," he said, as her eyes narrowed and he stepped in even closer. "Keep telling yourself that you're _different, _Bonnie, because you aren't. Just like Katherine, my sister, the rest of the goddamn witches in The League—you're _all _the same. And I was a fool to think that you were any better… Especially if you're willing to _settle _for one of _them._ You're just _pathetic._"

Bonnie's hand landed across his face and Kol's head jerked, before he turned to meet her with hot eyes while ire marred her face.

Quiet passed between the two as Bonnie's hand retreated to her side, though her palm stung from power of the impact. Her bones were shaking, but she remained stoic as he bit his lip. Bonnie lowered her voice as her grip tightened around her bag before she spoke.

"The only _pathetic _thing about me is that I'm still standing here trying to justify myself to _you_."

He didn't say a word as she turned on her heel and walked away; down the stairs, out the front door, and into the night as she swallowed a bout of air before finally _breathing._

Her heart raced as she glanced up at Kol's window once more and the light flicked off immediately, before she fumbled into her bag and reached for her cell phone. She flicked through her address book as she began to walk, and quickly dialed Katherine's number, as fast as her fingers would allow.

She knew that the girl hadn't been feeling too good earlier, but she hoped she was okay to come to her rescue right now. The last thing that she wanted to do at 1 o'clock in the morning was wander her way through Mystic Falls, with her GPS application in hand, as she searched for Whitmore College and walked back to her dorms.

But things were beginning to seem that way, as the call went straight to voicemail and Bonnie let out a sigh. She _could _call Rebekah to see if she had any idea where Katherine was, but that would involve explaining just why she was leaving Kol so early and Bonnie wasn't ready for that.

If she thought Kol was pissed off, Rebekah would be worse. She was his _sister, _after all, and she hadn't been too happy with the fact that the two ditched her after The Grill to be alone, while she went off to Hayley's place all by her lonesome.

If Bonnie was lucky, Rebekah would forgive her, sometime this century.

Or maybe even by the _next._

She continued to walk down the side walked streets; habitually glancing at the houses that she passed, before blankly staring ahead and getting lost within her thoughts.

_How the fuck could she have been so stupid? And why? Why the hell did she say anything about Damon while she was having such an intimate moment with Kol?_

What the hell was going on in her subconscious that even made her _think _of him, anyway?

She wasn't into Damon; there was no way that she was. She _barely _knew much about the guy, and even so, it didn't mean that she felt anything for him. He was no more special than anyone else she had met here in Mystic Falls, and she internally blamed the fact that Stefan put those weird ideas—about them _being into each other_—into her head, for the fuck up.

She'd obviously still being thinking about just _that, _but why?

And why was she thinking about it _now, _when her biggest concern should have been Kol, and how the hell she was going to explain this to Rebekah?

Bonnie huffed as she shook away her thoughts and continued to walk. She'd have all night to contemplate—and possibly even _longer, _because she had ways to go before she'd even make it back to campus.

_She was fortunate that she at least wore comfortable shoes._

Bonnie continued along the pavement, when she heard the sound of a car coming down the dismal street and she clutched her bag even tighter, without ever turning back to face it.

Sure, Mystic Falls was a "safe" town by all definition of the words, but that didn't mean it couldn't have its moments. If no one messed with her, she wouldn't mess with them. And if she ignored the nosey resident who was probably head of the Neighborhood Watch, as they coasted down Pilar Avenue, she'd be okay. Once they saw just how _harmless _she appeared, they'd go back to their surveillance elsewhere.

_Only the sound of the car dramatically slowed down as it came behind her, which forced her to turn around and see just who the hell was apparently following her, once and for all._

Her stomach dropped when it set gaze on the familiar blue Chevy and the stark eyes of the man behind the wheel as he braked immediately, even though she kept walking.

She _picked up _her speed, actually, much to his surprise. He scoffed when he put the car back in drive, and continued to keep up beside her, though Bonnie was moving at a mile a minute.

"Bonnie!" Damon called, and her eyes remained forward. "What the hell are you doing out here?"

"Walking," she said sharply, without ever meeting his eyes. "Heading back to campus."

Damon remained quiet for a moment as she continued to evade his eyes, before he cleared his throat and spoke again.

"Do you want a ride?"

"I'm fine, thanks," she said breathlessly. "I'll see you around."

Damon's brows scrunched at that before she finally heard his car come to a complete stop, and his door slam behind him. Bonnie quickened her pace as she continued down the street, and only stopped when Damon finally caught up to her and swung around to stop her path.

Her green eyes stared into his quietly as he rose a brow and shook his head. Something was wrong, and he knew it.

She _hated _that he knew it.

"Are you alright, Bennett? You're walking like you're training for the Olympics."

"I'm fine, I just need to get home," she started, as she attempted to move past him, but he moved with her. "Damon, _seriously—_"

"Let me drive you," he said with a calm but firm persistence to his tone. "I know Mystic Falls is a hell of a lot safer than most places, but you're still a young girl walking around at 1 in the morning."

"Because I can take care of myself," she shot back with such slick venom in her voice, it might as well had been dripping from her tongue. "What are you doing here, anyway? Of _all _places in Mystic Falls, you happen to be driving down the one street I need to take home?"

Damon rolled his eyes at that as he folded his arms across his black t-shirt and met her stare. Was she seriously going to make it this hard when he was just trying to do the right thing?

"If you _must _know, I'm here because I was on my back to my apartment. It's about ten minutes away."

"Fine, but you left The Grill _hours _ago, so that doesn't explain a thing—"

"I was at McKayla's," he interrupted and Bonnie's mouth shut as she watched the ferocity in his eyes immediately soften; as if she had just uncovered all of his dirty little secrets. "We had a talk. A _long _one. And not that it's any of your _business, _but here's the synopsis: it didn't end well."

Bonnie tugged at her lip with her teeth as she met his eyes, and she noticed the dull but clear pain behind them. He looked down to the ground almost immediately when he realized Bonnie was staring, and she adjusted her bag over her shoulder, as the sound of nothing moved between them.

_Nothing; they both felt like nothing._

"I'm… sorry," she said carefully, and Damon shrugged as he forced a smile and backed away.

He'd had enough of this conversation; he'd had enough of this _night._

"Don't mention it. I guess Caroline was right after all, huh? I'm the reason McKayla ran away—the reason she's still not staying, either."

"Do you… want to talk about it?"

"That's… cool and all, Bonnie, but no. I _don't _wanna have a powwow. I'll be fine."

Bonnie breathed as she watched his walking back towards his car and she cleared her throat loudly, which caused him to stop in his tracks and face her.

Her arms crossed over her body and she looked down at her feet before she worked up the nerve to talk.

"I got into another fight with Kol."

Damon's eyes didn't rise with surprise, but he tucked his hands into his pockets and shrugged lightly when she met his face.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"No," she said simply. "I'll be fine… Just like I always am."

Damon nodded at that, as he sucked in some air and Bonnie took a cautious step in towards him.

His eyes followed her slow but steady movements, as she finally made it to the car and pulled open the passenger door before she climbed in.

Damon got in as well, and restarted the engine, before breaking the silence between her.

He asked her "where to?"

Bonnie shifted in her seat as she stared straight ahead before looking his way. Damon patiently waited for a response.

"Anywhere," she said softly, and much to his surprise, as she leaned in, and turned up the music playing on the radio. _"Take me anywhere."_

"As you wish," Damon replied, before putting the car in drive, and Bonnie shut her eyes as she leaned back into her seat and tried to center her thoughts.

If Kol was going to be angry with her for hanging out with humans, then she was going to do just that.

_And she was going to hang out with the very one she'd apparently been _thinking _about while she was with _him.

Because at this point, she believed all was fair in love and war.

**A/N: Hey guys! So I know it's been a while since I updated, but please forgive me! I had a lot of stuff going on in my head while writing and I wasn't sure what should make it to the chapter or not so here it goes! LOOOOOTS of stuff went down (as usual) and I hope you were all pleased/intrigued with where the story seems to be going next! As always, thank you all SO MUCH for reading! I know TVD doesn't seem too promising for us Bamon fans this year (or Bonnie fans in general LOL) so I hope this story can quell your sadness with the horrific storylines we have to keep enduring for our girl. Stay strong! I love you all, and don't forget to review with your thoughts, I love to read them. **** Tata for now!**


	6. Control

**Control**

**A/N: Trigger warning for drug/sexual abuse in this chapter.**

"_Finally, you're here," Katherine said, as the door behind her opened, and she continued to chop the tomatoes on the cutting board in front of her. "I honestly don't even remember your mother's sauce recipe and I'm just winging it at this point. I hope that you don't hate me too much."_

_She heard him chuckle as he placed his books and keys down on the kitchen table, before heading to the sink to wash his hands._

"_I still can't believe Miss Pierce is _actually _cooking," he said with a hint of amusement as the sink continued to run and she looked up towards him with a smile. "I refuse to believe that I've actually _domesticated _you."_

"_Whoa, don't get ahead of yourself, pal," she answered, as he finally dried his hands, rolled up his sleeves, and walked over towards her. "This is a one-time deal. I don't want you to get used to it."_

_He smirked as he took the knife out of her hand and placed it on the counter beside her—her back now pressed to it as well as he spun her around to face him. The wicked gleam in his eyes shone all the while._

"_Kol, my hands are all tomatoe-y—"she stopped, as he raised her fingers to his lips and sucked on every single one._

_Katherine held back her grin as she stared directly into his charcoal eyes and he smiled against her skin._

"_I didn't come to California for this," she said, as he kissed her knuckles and nibbled away at her palms. "Remember that? Remember I said _this," _she gestured between the both them, "had to remain platonic until we were back home where things could be _real _and _normal?_"_

"_Why wait, though?" he asked simply, as he dropped her hand finally, and took her face into his hand with his palm. "You're not seeing anybody else. I'm not seeing anybody else. I mean, no offense love, but it's the least we could be doing if I'm going to shack you up here, rent-free, on the beach, while you're parents believe that you're still at that bloody boarding school in Michigan… Let's not forget that I saved you from your misery, right?"_

_Katherine sighed at that as she recalled it immediately—The Borin Academy for Girls; a.k.a, jail, to put it quite honestly._

_It was September when she had been on the verge of getting kicked out of high school during her senior year, and her parents decided to send her away to a boarding school in Michigan to clean up her act._

_The school was quite literally meant to break her and she quickly knew why, when they named all of the rules at the Borin. She was put on a strict diet, stern group meeting and community service schedule, and even worse—she was not even allowed to even communicate with those outside of the school until the semester was over._

_Including her parents._

_After about a month, Katherine was sure she was going insane; developing a new brand of mental diseases and afflictions the longer she was kept within confinement and forced out of contact with the outside world._

_She felt like she was in prison. And somehow, someone had found the right mind to save her from it all, one day—like the smooth-talking, diabolical, and rebellious guy she had always known him to be._

_Somehow, he got her out. And when he did, he took her away to California._

_With a lot of witchcraft and a ridiculously great cover story, Kol Mikaelson was not only the one to come to Katherine's rescue, but he had also fudged each and every school document and file that pertained to her existence and made each trace of her disappear, until graduation. He told her he'd handle her transcripts when the time came, and they would all indicate that she passed with flying colors when the reports were sent back home. To keep up with the cover just in case anyone questioned her about it, Katherine's only request of her parents when she did make it back to Salem would be not to attend her boarding school graduation ceremony._

_They had an entire cover story._

_She would complain of PTSD, depression, and everything else under the sun to get Isobel and John to feel guilty about even sending her there in the first place, even though she didn't even remember what the place had looked like at this point, and it had only been two months._

_When she asked him why he had done it, he gave her an entire mess of reasons—ranging from his boredom, to his "superhero complex," to the fact that he was lonely in California and he needed somebody to help him._

_To distract him._

_So this was what she became; as she lived her life in secret with Kol—attending a few lecture classes with him during the day, while partying, drinking, and doing drugs and whatever magic she could manage before her 18__th__ birthday at night; Katherine became his home away from home, in San Diego._

_And she liked it. But sometimes, she wanted more—sometimes she _wanted _to be able to call Bonnie or Rebekah to tell them that she here and she was alright, though Kol urged her against it. He reminded her that her friends didn't know how to keep a secret if their lives depended upon it, and if either of them knew she was really in California instead of Michigan—especially with him—their entire plan could fall through and she'd never have a high school diploma or be able to leave Salem to attend college._

_So she kept her mouth shut; she didn't tell anyone that she was here. Not even her best friends—as much as it pained her to keep secrets from them._

_When she got back home—separately from Kol—she'd act as if things were the same as before, except with one minor change; she'd hope she and him would eventually be able to start a relationship. A _real _one—one that didn't involve partying, but instead the cuddling and talking that she so desperately longed for, while they were here in California._

_But for now, it was clear they weren't at that stage yet—as Kol sometimes hooked up with other girls when they went out to bar, or worse—didn't come to the apartment to visit her for an entire _week _at a time, because he had "things to do."_

_A.K.A—other girls. And she refused to be one of them; no way. _

_She didn't want to be just some girl he was having sex with when she knew she deserved far more than that; especially because she knew him best while—guaranteed—the rest of these girls were being pumped full of lies and inconsistencies just because Kol was telling them all that they wanted to hear._

_No._

_She was different, and she knew it—she had to believe it. The way that he looked at her gave it away, sometimes, when they'd just be lying in bed after a smoke out of his bong—laughing hysterically at something that wasn't even that funny, but they enjoyed it anyway. _

_Kol meant a lot to her—much more than he'd ever know. And one day, she hoped that they could really be together, once and for all—even if she had to wait a little bit for it to happen._

_Katherine was removed from her thoughts as Kol drew her in by the waist and slowly but surely walked her away with him; away from the counter and towards the couch, before he slammed her down against it, and stood over it, in front of her._

_She took in a deep sigh as he reached into his pocket and took out a small dime-size bag that had a few round tablets in it before he tossed it to her and offered a smile._

"_What's this?" she asked, as she looked at it in her hand._

"_A little gift from one of my buddies on the baseball team. He says their fun—he thinks we should try them."_

_Katherine scoffed at that as she surveyed the bottle of pills and shook her head before she looked up at him._

"_I'm not in the mood."_

"_Oh, sure you are," Kol urged, as he knelt before her and opened the bag himself. "Why are you being so cranky?"_

"_Because it's the same thing—over and over again—with you, Kol," she said angrily as her eyes met his. "It seems like we're… making progress; actually growing into something, and then it never fails. You bring shit like this home or you ask me if I'm ready to have sex with you, yet, and I'm not—I don't want to do either. Not while you're doing it with anybody else… I want to be with you, eventually—but just _you._"_

_There was a long silence between them as Kol narrowed his eyes and Katherine let out a sigh. It never ended well when she spilled her guts or told him the truth, because he always bolted. He didn't like hearing about her feelings and he didn't want Katherine's need for emotional validation to trip him up into committing to her when he had no plans to._

_He wanted her for one and one reason only; and it wasn't to be his girlfriend._

_But if he had to say otherwise, he was prepared to. Kol was willing to bend his wants and needs as he saw fit to keep her here with him, until his semester was set to be over. Because she was a home away from home; she was a filler for what she didn't know he _actually _had back in Salem, Massachusetts._

_She was going to be the whore to the Madonna he already had, back home. Katherine Pierce would be his; just as he intended her to. But she would never be Bonnie Bennett—she would be opposite of her._

"_I'm gonna go finish dinner—"she started to get up, but Kol pushed her back down at the shoulder and looked into her chestnut eyes._

_Katherine swallowed hard when he sat down beside her and gently took her hand into his own._

_It felt like her skin was practically on fire._

"_I… love you, Katherine," he said, much to her shock and surprise as he inched in closer towards her and she struggled to catch her breath. "You know that I love you _so much._"_

_She smiled softly at that before he placed his lips to her own and engulfed her in a deep kiss that nearly drowned her but left her gasping for air, all at once. _

_And it wasn't long before she was on her back, with him on top, as one hand gripped her down at her side and the other reached into the familiar bag—taking out two pills out of it and popping one between his lips before his stare went to hers._

"_For me?" he asked sweetly, as Katherine stared at him hesitantly, and he smiled. "Just this once."_

_She finally nodded in agreement before slipping her tongue out and Kol placed the tiny tablet into her mouth. She swallowed it down easily and looked into his eyes as he smirked with accomplishment._

"_Just this once," she repeated._

_Her words were silenced the minute Kol's lips dove against hers again, and she moaned softly as she felt him unbuttoning her shorts and pulling them away with such fervent desire, it actually scared and turned her on, all at once._

"_Relax, darling," Kol said, when he felt her body tense up before he pulled off his shirt and began working on her own. "You're in good hands now."_

She believed every single word that he said.

Because Kol became her everything. She only knew him and because of that, she trusted him. Despite the fact that he had been lying to her since the very moment he "saved her;" he completely lied about everything.

He treated her as his one and only woman while they were in California from that point on, but the minute the two both came back to Salem—separately—he made it clear what he had only really wanted from her all along.

Sex; he only was ever interested in sleeping with her. And after Katherine was dealt with the mind-numbing blow, she told herself that she'd move on and never ever look back. It was why she was the way she had been with guys, since then; using, abusing, and manipulating them all, just like Kol had done to her.

"You're still angry that I never told you about Bonnie," she heard, as she snapped out of the memory and stared into his eyes. Katherine let out a sigh and remained quiet. "It was… never my intention to date you both at the same time."

Her jaw clenched and her teeth tightened before she spoke.

"Of course it was," she said angrily, as her rage began to swell. "It's the reason you told me not to call she or Rebekah to tell them what you had done and you wouldn't let me see her when she visited you, right? Because you didn't want her to know that your entire relationship was a _lie; _because you were playing us _both—_"

"I never manipulated you. I loved you, Katherine; I still do."

"You're full of shit, _Kol,_" she spat. "You only saved me from that place so that you could get me into bed with you right after, even though you knew just how _messed up _I was," she added angrily before he let out a dark laugh. "You wanted her to be your _Good Girl. _But then you wanted me to be your—"

"Whore?" he asked as she bit her lip. "And you didn't want to be the whore."

"I don't want to be anything," she spat "Not with you—not _ever _again. And you don't deserve Bonnie either. And the fact that you haven't told her—"

"Don't, Katherine," he started, as she swallowed hard and she watched him shift against his mattress before he said another word. "Don't pretend as if I'm the only one at fault for this—like you didn't keep this from her just as much as I did."

"I didn't know what else to do," she said honestly, as she shook her head. "How was I supposed to be around after I found out? I _had _to pretend, Kol—"

She stopped.

Just saying his name made her skin crawl, she realized. She couldn't believe that she had been so out of her own head that she had actually _slept _with him; even worse, that he'd been completely fine with it each time and never stopped it at all.

_She _was the one who was underage, at the time. And 9 times out of 10? She'd been so drunk or drugged up that she didn't have _any _idea what she was doing, or what was happening and she didn't have the ability to say no.

Kol told her that she _wanted _it, and so she agreed—he _told _her things were fine and this was normal, so she foolishly believed him.

She kept quiet about the entire thing—even regrettably from Bonnie—because she knew there would be consequences if she spoke. Bonnie would hate her. Rebekah would be disgusted with her. And besides the fact that her high school diploma would be revoked and she'd be kicked out of Whitmore for lying and falsifying records, _Kol _scared her himself, too.

She'd seen his power and knew his potential from the very second she set foot into a car with him and he busted her out of boarding school. He was aggressive, calculating, charismatic and devious; if she made one move against him or even said a word to Bonnie about their past, she'd probably wind up dead, because he didn't take people standing up to him very lightly.

And now, he wanted it again—he wanted Katherine to be his other woman in secret, while he continued to play hot and cold with Bonnie; because to him, they had been the best of _both _worlds.

Bonnie—the sweet, fiery, and mostly _innocent _one he could enjoy on his breaks from school, and Katherine—the wild, sexy, yet _vulnerable _one he wanted in moments like these—when he was fighting with his girlfriend and she didn't want to even see his face.

He wanted both on his ball of string, just like he had experienced before.

"I won't tell her because it isn't any of her business to know," he said. "Just like you don't want the world to know you're a high school dropout, who's screwed her own best friend's boyfriend more times than anyone can count… Or the fact that you still _want _to."

"I want you to tell her everything," she said as her hands shook as vividly as her voice. "Or _I _will."

"And what will you tell her, exactly? That you're _sorry _for throwing yourself at me when all I ever intended to do was _help _you?... Poor, poor Katherine Pierce," he said in an arrogant tone as he stood to his feet and finally appeared before her. "Always the _victim; _even when she's better off acknowledging that she's just _that _easy—"Katherine inhaled longingly as Kol clicked his tongue and let out another laugh afterward. "It's _pathetic, _really," he continued. "The fact that _you _wanted me and yet you behave this way."

"I just wanted _to talk_ to someone and I _trusted _you. But you fed me a bunch of bullshit to get me into bed with you; you did nothing but control me—"

"Now who's ever going to believe _that; _that a man manipulated _you?_" he asked defiantly. "You're a slut, Katherine—and that's all that you'll ever be… Why don't you just give in and accept the love of the only man in the world who's ever going to want _you, _at this point?"

Katherine raised a hand to slap him across the face and Kol stopped her wrist just in time, before she had the chance to connect. She huffed furiously as he stared into her eyes within the darkened room and he offered a sinister smile.

It made her want to tear him to pieces.

"I won't put up with that twice in one night," he said, recalling Bonnie's aggression earlier, before he ordered her out. "Besides—let's be real, _Little Pierce_—you may be training your powers and working with your mentors to grow, but you're _no _match for who I am, right now. I suggest you quit while you're ahead."

Katherine breathed angrily as she ripped her hand away from his grasps and Kol continued to stare into her eyes seriously. She kept her hands at her sides, though—ready to attack him with whatever magic she could if she had to. She wouldn't be left defenseless, again.

Especially not against him.

"I have a favor to ask you, love."

"Go to fucking hell," Katherine spat back and Kol smiled amusedly.

"That's no way to speak to your _boyfriend_," he warned and she shook her head as he pinned her against the wall in the room. "I need you to find someone for me—someone I'm rather intrigued by, as of tonight. His name is Damon. I don't have a last name, but I figure you'd be good with that. This is a small town, after all."

Katherine kept a look of indifference upon her face, though she knew damn well who Damon was—she just didn't understand what Kol wanted with him.

"Why?"

"Don't worry about it," he answered, as his fingers trailed down her cheek and Katherine shuddered at each touch. "Just know that I have some business to take care of with him… The sooner you find him, the better. Because if I have to do it myself, I can't promise that I won't kill him."

Katherine bit her lip softly as her mind raced and her eyes closed.

There was no way she was going to give Damon up; especially not to Kol, for whatever sick and twisted reason he needed him for. She was going to have to think of a way to keep him safe and get Kol off of her back, once and for all.

The easiest way to do that, however, was to have Kol _dead._

"I'll do what I can," she replied, as Kol grinned and placed both hands lower and lower at her sides. "It might take me a few days—"

"Maybe you could just ask Bonnie," Kol suggested, as his fingers began to un-button Katherine's shirt and she stood rigid as he all but ripped it off of her. _"I believe that she knows him well."_

XXXXX

Bonnie stirred in bed and let out a soft groan as the rays of sunlight from beyond the curtains infiltrated the room and pressed against her eyes, as she tried to sleep.

"Ugh," she responded lightly; pulling a pillow from beside her over her face and breathing softly as it acted as a temporary shield for the disruption coming her way.

But something didn't feel right; something _wasn't _right.

Bonnie inhaled the smell of sweet cologne that lingered against the pillow covering her face and it was _extremely _unfamiliar.

_Whose pillow was this, and what the hell had she been doing with it?_

Bonnie pulled it away from her face and finally opened her eyes as she sat up; surveying the master size bedroom around her and she gulped accordingly when she realized it was _completely _unfamiliar, as well.

Where the hell was she, and how the fuck had she gotten here, if she didn't remember it at all?

Bonnie shot out of the king-size bed and she glanced around at the inhabitants possessions, as they lined his dresser, bookcase, and walls with various things but nothing that gave any distinction as to who it was, or tell-tale characteristics of who lived here.

And her head was _pounding. _If she was supposed to remember _anything _that happened last night that was the universe's best joke because she didn't remember shit. And it was quite literally the most alarming thing she'd ever felt, in the world.

"Hello?" Bonnie called lamely, as she made her way out of the bedroom slowly—her bare feet making no noise against the wooden floors, and her legs feeling the gentle breeze in the air from the open windows; she was only dressed in a pair of basketball shorts and a flannel t-shirt as she made her way down the hallway. "Hello? Is anyone—"

She stopped when she made her way into the living room, and saw just beyond the divider none other than _Damon _cooking at the stove, with ruffled raven-hair, and nothing more than a pair of boxers on.

_What the fuck._

"Um," Bonnie said, before she cleared her throat, and he instantly turned around at the sound of her voice—his cheery morning smile immediately evaporating once he realized he didn't have a t-shirt on and Bonnie was staring at him as if he was completely naked, though he hadn't been.

_He should have remembered to grab something else to wear before she woke up. But he was really, really hungry._

"Hi," she breathed, thinly veiling the shock in her voice—or eyes—as her gaze quickly raked over his very-toned abs before she jumped back up to his eyes; her eyebrows were nearly touching her hairline. "What are you… What am _I_…" she stopped again and huffed anxiously. "What's going on?"

"This isn't nearly as bad as it looks," he promised, as he noted the fact that he was wearing practically nothing and Bonnie was dressed in his clothes. "I was just… making breakfast," he tilted the pan that had eggs in it towards her direction, "And you were sleeping… in my bed. Alone. You… kind of sort of got a little bit _out of control, _last night."

"Last night?" she gulped. "W-What was _last night?_"

"I picked you up while you were walking back to your dorm, remember?" Damon asked, as her brows knitted together. "You and Kal—"

"_Kol,_" she corrected. "His name is _Kol._"

"Right," Damon answered, without a hint of an apology on his face before he continued the story. "You and _'Kol' _got into an argument last night and he kicked you out. So I found you. And we went out. Had a few drinks to get your mind off of it. However, a _few _drinks turned into a _bunch _more—"

"Did we have sex?" she asked bluntly, as his blue eyes widened and she shook her head furiously. "Oh my god, we hooked up, didn't we?"

"No, no, no," Damon held up his hands. "_No," _he reaffirmed one more time. "We didn't do _anything, _Bonnie—I promise. We didn't even sleep in the same bed. You were _bombed, _after all of your dancing on the bar and I perhaps had a bit too much too, so we took a cab. I tried to get you back to your dorm but you refused to go in for about a half hour. Cab driver got pissed, I got him to bring us here. I couldn't think of anywhere else to go—I know you didn't want to see Kol, though. So, I changed you and put you to bed… I slept on the couch," he nodded.

Bonnie looked down at Damon's couch and sure enough, there were blankets and two pillows strewn haphazardly across the way. She sighed gently as she looked down at it and then back up towards him with an apologetic gleam in her eyes. Damon bit his lip softly as she reluctantly met his glare.

"Was I… really that bad?" she asked and he licked his teeth before he offered a small shrug.

"I've seen worse."

"We didn't go the Grill last night, did we? I—I don't want to get fired—"

"Relax," he said, as he finally turned the eggs off and shoveled them onto a porcelain plate on the counter before he looked into her eyes. "We went to _Maxwell's_—a bar about twenty minutes outside of Mystic Falls. No one from here goes there; especially not at one in the morning."

Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief as she nodded, before Damon neared her with the plate of eggs and her eyes softened when he extended it out towards her.

"Breakfast?"

Her jaw clenched as she looked down and then back into his eyes. She shook her head politely as she held up a hand and offered an apologetic smile.

"I shouldn't. I—I should probably call my friends; let them know I'm okay… And I should probably call Kol."

"You sure you wanna do all of that before you at least have something in your stomach?" he asked and Bonnie sighed. "You were… really upset, last night—Bonnie. And from what you told _me—"_

"I'm fine," she lied. "I'm totally fine. I just—I never drink, so it got to me, that's all… It really isn't a big deal—"she started as she turned around to leave and he stopped her.

"You said that after your fight with Kol, you felt like nothing… That he made you feel like _nothing._"

Bonnie turned back towards Damon and she watched as he placed her breakfast on the table and neared her slowly; his peach skin looking especially beautiful against the backdrop of his ocean eyes and so-dark hair.

She's quietly thought Damon was probably the most attractive person she'd ever met, from the very first moment she laid eyes on him. She thought it—even more so right now—as he was advancing towards her with such clear compassion yet reserved anger in his eyes, as if her pain actually hurt him, last night, as well.

As if he felt everything that she had been feeling, while her memories slowly faded back to her and she recalled the nasty fight she and Kol had gotten into before he kicked her out. Because as Bonnie was remembering it, it didn't hurt any less, she realized. The words he'd said—they hurt just as much; perhaps even _more _than they had, last night and that was crushing.

It felt like she hadn't experience any relief; it felt like she'd experienced nothing at all.

"I deserved what he said," she finally spoke, as Damon narrowed his eyes and Bonnie let out a soft breath. "I—I know I told you what _I _did—"

"You accidentally said some other guy's name when you two were in the middle of doin' the nasty. So what? You do realize there have been worst things to happen in the history of sex, right? You could have just chopped his dick off."

"This isn't funny, Damon—and I don't see it as a joke—"

"Who says I'm kidding, Bonnie?" he asked as he stepped in and looked into her eyes strongly, as she stood no more than a few inches away from him. "You made a mistake; you owned to it. And sure, he has every right to be a little _hurt _about it because of his ego, but tell me this—does that give him the right to disrespect you? To… call you pathetic? To act like you never mattered to him, because you made _one _mistake? He's trying to _control _you, Bonnie—"

"You don't know anything about me or Kol," she stated, as she looked into his eyes and Damon rolled his tongue. "So if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go. I just—I really appreciate everything that you did for me last night, but I can't be here. It's not okay."

Damon watched with defeat as Bonnie turned on her heel and disappeared down the hallway—presumably to his bedroom to gather her clothes and her things, before she would leave and quite possibly never talk to him ever again.

But could he really blame her?

He'd probably wake up disoriented and angry, too, if he'd completely blacked out the night before and ended up sleeping over at someone's house, without any clear memory of how he'd gotten there.

Bonnie was reacting in _exactly _the way he'd expected; she was confused. But that didn't mean it stung any less as he watched her walk out the door, without another glance behind her and a hollow heart.

No; that part hurt the most.

Damon sighed as he plopped down on the couch and grabbed his cell phone off of the coffee table before him. He quickly dialed the only phone number that he had committed to memory these days, and pressed the device to his ear as it rang.

The recipient finally picked up on the third ring.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey, Stefan, I know you're probably still asleep, but I need a favor—my car is out of town at _Maxwell's _and I was wondering if we could go get it… I promise to pay you in scrambled eggs."

Stefan let out a hoarse laugh before a yawn, and Damon heard Caroline groan in the background for him to get off the phone before his brother sighed and sat up against the girl's headboard.

"_I'm on my way, brother."_

XXXXX

"… And I am 1000% sure that my Economics class is going to be the death of me. I don't give a _damn _about the market or some old dead guy's theories on costs and benefits," Rebekah said, as she walked besides Bonnie and Katherine into the huge lecture hall and they glanced around for seats. "The only plus is that there are a _bunch _of hot boys, so perhaps I'll find rich one."

"If you're looking for _rich, _maybe you should take a gander at my Computer Programming class, then," Katherine yawned. "_No one _is good looking, but they're all probably NASA-bound. Naturally, I've already persuaded three of them into dividing up my assignments for the year," she smirked.

Bonnie didn't say anything as she finally slid into a seat somewhere deep within the middle rows of the 200-plus lecture hall and glanced around at her surroundings accordingly. It'd been only days since her fight with Kol and she still hadn't been in the chatty mood, much to no one's surprise. She claimed to be fine, as she busied herself with reading and staying in her room, but they knew better—Katherine, especially—than to trust a love-scorned witch who'd just been dumped by a warlock and left high and dry.

She and Rebekah had both been there, and the emotion of getting your heartbroken was _twenty times _worse for someone of their nature. As witches, they felt _everything _so deeply; air, water, earth, fire—and yes—even _love. _

_Love _was the magical fifth element that they all warned of, because it virtually the only one that could _destroy _them. And though they knew Bonnie and were confident she'd pick herself back up eventually, the waiting time to get there _sucked._ Especially when he wasn't returning any of her phone calls, yet, he'd found enough time to call Rebekah only to tell her that he was safely back in California, and he'd speak to Bonnie _whenever the time was right._

_Whatever._

Bonnie was just thankful that she had school to distract her from it all.

"Just for the record, Katherine, you'll be doing _all _of your own homework in this class, seeing as _you're _the one who talked us into it," Bonnie stated, as she flipped open her MacBook and Katherine grinned not only at the fact that this idea was definitely her own, but that Bonnie was talking.

_Finally._

"Oh, I don't mind that at _all. _It is called _Human Sexuality, _and there are a lot of _sexual _beings in here," Katherine noted, to which Rebekah smiled appreciatively and Bonnie pressed her hand to her forehead, as she looked around and remained silent.

This was going to be her entire semester in a nutshell, wasn't it?

"_Fantastic."_

"Oh, lighten up, Bon. Your life could be worse," Rebekah said carefully, as she remembered her weekend and her night at Hayley's house, where just about everyone ignored her—even Tyler Lockwood—and acted as if she hadn't even existed.

It was ridiculously embarrassing and beyond hurtful, but she wasn't going to let Caroline Forbes and her clan know that they got to her. Not so soon. And she was going to make sure they knew that they couldn't turn her away so easily. Not when she had her mind, heart, and eyes set on something that she wanted.

And she surely had a few more tricks up her sleeve.

"I know," Bonnie admitted with a sigh. "Doesn't mean it hurts any less that he won't talk to me."

She hadn't really explained the reasons why she and Kol were going through a rough patch, and Rebekah and Katherine never asked; thankfully. They just figured it was "another fight," Bonnie presumed.

And she went with that—this would all just be _another fight._

"Of course not," Rebekah said as she snapped back into her thoughts and flipped her hair. "We know my brother is a jackass and ended things on a whim, but he'll come around. And when he does… _maybe _this class will be helpful to your relationship?" Rebekah said hopefully as Katherine snorted and shook her head.

"Or maybe she can use this as a lesson _learned _and get herself a _new _man. A _real _one, who doesn't come all the way here just to be his usual douchebag self and fight about everything under the sun," Katherine said, as she took a sip from her coffee before opening her own laptop. "There are plenty of fish who'd _love _to swim in your sea. Who needs one boyfriend when you can have like _ten _here? Or better yet… _Damon._ Have you heard from him lately?"

Bonnie swallowed at that as Rebekah cleared her throat and shook her head, before facing forward towards the board.

"And here is where I check out," the blonde said. "I can't listen to you two fawn over guys while one of you is still heartbroken over my _brother,_" she eyed Bonnie. "No offense."

"None taken, because there is _nothing _going on between Damon and me," she snapped, in Katherine's direction. "We haven't even spoken since I—"

She stopped. Katherine and Rebekah still didn't know about the last time she was with him—when she stayed the night at his apartment because she such a mess from her fight with Kol and way too much drinking. He hadn't even texted her since that night; and she didn't try to text him either. It seemed as if it were a mutual agreement that their friendship was stopping here.

He didn't like her relationship with Kol and Bonnie still felt guilty about the fact that _his name _was the one that caused such a conflict.

It seemed as if she and Damon were agreeing to go their separate ways.

"I haven't seen him since the auction," Bonnie lied as Katherine raised a brow to let her know she wasn't buying it. "He's busy with his work. And I mean, it's not like we're _really _friends—"

"But he sure texted you like one," Katherine said as she cocked her head and crossed her legs. "I don't think I've ever had a guy contact _me _at one in the morning _just _to recommend a book he thought I should check out. I've also never texted said guy back until _four _a.m., about everything and nothing at all," she said as Bonnie's eyes widened. "You should _really _consider putting a lock on your phone."

"The difference between you and Bonnie, Katherine, is that she actually _does _like to discuss books at one o'clock in the morning. _You _don't; you're busy just trying to get your rocks off, honestly."

"Guilty," Katherine winked with a smirk. "I won't deny it. Anyway. _I _say we stop waiting for Kol to 'change his mind,' and we move on. What better time than now?"

"It's too soon to move on," Bonnie said dryly, as she leaned back into her seat. "And it's too soon to want him back. It's too soon to do _anything."_

Bonnie looked up towards the front of the classroom as their professor walked in and she felt her chest cave in.

_Apparently it was not too soon to wish she had signed up for another class._

_No, no, no—_what she thought was happening was _not _happening, right?

"Well, would you look at that," Katherine stated the obvious before looking to Bonnie who looked like a dear in headlights as her friend leaned in and whispered to her ear. "Guess we know why you haven't seen him all weekend."

"_That's _him?" Rebekah asked a bit confusedly as she glanced at both girls with wide eyes. "Is he even old enough to teach college?"

That was a good question, Bonnie realized; wasn't Damon 23 years old and an _assistant, _last she knew?

Why did it make her feel sick all of a sudden? Why did she feel the urge to _leave?_

"You have to be kidding me," Bonnie said in a heated tone, before hopping to her feet and shaking her head; desperately trying to control the feeling that was building within her chest. "I'm leaving."

"Bonnie wait—" Katherine started, but the girl ignored her, as she shut her laptop, grabbed her bag, and began to make her way out of the aisle and down the lecture hall steps.

"_Excuse me—"Bonnie_ said, before slamming hard into the chest of someone walking her way, and she sighed immediately when the stack of papers in their hands went soaring out of his hands.

Damon stopped mid-conversation as the three students before him immediately halted as well. Bonnie stared at him unapologetically and he ticked his jaw before sending a feigned smile to the others that instantly made them walk away when he agreed to discuss more after class, before his eyes shot back to Bonnie.

She was positively fuming.

"We have to stop meeting like this," he said as they both dipped down to the ground to gather his things and he held one of the papers towards her, while she huffed silently. "Syllabus?"

Bonnie didn't say a word as Damon handed her the paper and she tucked it into her bag quickly; she just wanted to scream at him, honestly, when he sent her that arrogant smirk that he did before she finally rose to feet and folded her arms across her chest.

_She couldn't be here right now. But she needed answers. Pronto._

"You're joking, right?" she asked with wide eyes as Damon prepared the handouts and Bonnie lowered her voice as she stepped in to meet him. "You are _not _the professor for this class."

"Would it really bother you if I was, Miss Bennett?"

_Miss Bennett. She honestly wanted to choke him._

"Yeah, it would," she said honestly as she inhaled a breath and looked into his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me? I mean, between making me eggs and getting me drunk, I figured _this _would have come up during conversation."

"My bad. I guess I didn't get the chance to even say anything before you walked out on me," he whispered furiously as Bonnie squinted her eyes. "And I _wasn't_ a professor until I got a phone call that Professor Nigel extended his tour in Amsterdam—_The Mecca of Human Sexuality—_until the spring. And having played pet to this guy all of last year, I was the only other person who knew his lesson plans well enough to take over, on such short notice, so… I'm the new adjunct. I'll be teaching a few classes part-time, while still _going _to class and working on my _own _degree. Hence the _everything,_" he pointed to his attire and she bit her lip.

_Well, that finally explained it_.

"Well, congratulations," Bonnie stated, before Damon nodded and looked past her and towards the clock—it was almost time to begin. "I hope it works out for you; the teaching and working on your Masters," she said lamely, before beginning to walk away and he stopped her by the arm.

She sucked in a deep breath.

"Wait you're _actually_ leaving? Seriously?"

"Yeah," she nodded as his forehead wrinkled. "I'm sorry if this is just a little _weird _for me… I spent the night at your _apartment._ Besides—I don't _need _this class for my Physics curriculum. Katherine just wanted to take it so I did. And now, I see it's a mistake—"

"Physics?" he asked, in an amused tone as Bonnie nodded and he offered a knowing look. "I figured you'd be more of a _Dance _major after those moves you showed me at _Maxwell's._" Bonnie scowled at that as she began to walk out again but he stopped her once more. "I'm sorry—_that _was a joke."

Bonnie tugged her lip as she stared into his eyes and Damon cleared his throat seriously as he took a step in. The last he saw her, she had just slept over his over because she spent the night losing control and crying about her boyfriend, because he didn't treat her right. It was pretty hard to shake the image, no matter how hard he was trying to.

"Damon-"

"I—should have told you the other night," he interrupted as she swallowed hard and Damon pressed his lips. "But I didn't know how to… Especially not after you were crying and I couldn't bring you back to the dorms because you were such a wreck. I just… Wanted to be there for you."

"I understand," she said softly. "It just… things spiraled with Kol, really fast. You were just trying to look out for me."

"I was," he admitted. "And I'm sorry if my way of doing so sort of… lacked professionalism… I won't tell anybody about that if you won't. Especially not your friends."

Bonnie nodded thankfully before she changed the subject again and Damon followed the nervousness behind her eyes.

"I didn't want to take this class, you know… Katherine just—"

"Had the right idea," he said as she pressed her lips and he placed both hands on her shoulders. "It's a good, meaningful class that you'll learn a _lot _in, and even if it won't help you further yourself as a physicist one day, I'm sure it'll teach you something."

"How are you so sure? We _do _still disagree about the _Romeo and Juliet _thing… I'm not certain I _trust _your opinion."

Damon grinned at that as Bonnie forced her own smile back, though it felt unfamiliar along her cheeks that hadn't been filled with anything but tears since she and Kol fought. He followed her eyes for a moment before giving her shoulders one final squeeze before dropping his hands.

"I'm… sorry about what happened_,_" he said seriously, and she finally gave up the charade and nodded; he noticed the faint gloss of the water in her eyes. "My office is open after this and I know that it's probably not 'cool' to vent to the teacher but… just remember that we were sort of buds first. Okay?"

Bonnie sighed but nodded in agreement at that before letting out a sigh.

They _were _friends; whether she wanted to remember that she admitted it or not. And he was a damn good one for still wanting to treat her as such, even though it technically wasn't too favorable for his job.

She had a feeling though that Damon valued her just the same; perhaps even more. And that meant a lot.

Bonnie scanned the room again only see that her old seat was taken, before sitting in the first available one in the front row—smack dab in front of Damon. She crossed her legs and tapped her foot nervously. He smiled in victory, before separating a pair of handouts and handing them to various students to pass on, though his eyes never separated from hers.

This was probably a _horrible _idea, but like he said—if she hated it that much, she could always drop it and that'd be the end of it. But the longer she looked into his eyes and watched him engaging so fluently with the other students she already knew that she was stuck.

_She knew there was no escaping this at all._

"Welcome to Sociology 225: _Human Sexuality. _My name is Damon Salvatore and I will be your professor for the Fall Semester, in lieu of Professor Nigel who has decided to extend his _own _human sexuality with Europe's finest, in Amsterdam," he announced, and the class laughed as he made his way back over to the podium. "Do we have any questions before I dive right into that sexy-syllabus that is making its way around?"

He'd been teaching for all of five _seconds _and he'd already made her laugh; she hated this.

_She hated him._

Bonnie began to smile more naturally as the girls and guys in this class continued to rattle off the most ridiculous questions; from asking about his age—_he was on the cusp of his 24__th__ birthday, actually_— to his infamous younger brother, Stefan Salvatore, who was already taking the campus by storm.

Damon answered them with such ease and quirk, she was sure his teaching stock was going up by the minute, each time the class applauded his humor.

He was a natural; he was absolutely born to be a leader.

"_What are we really going to learn in this class?" _a girl finally asked, with an extended hand. "What makes this different from Sex-Ed?"

"Everything," Damon said, as he placed his hands in his pockets and began to roam the floor comfortably. "Human Sexuality is about _much _more than just the parts and how they work and what can happen if you don't protect and educate yourself. Human Sexuality is about _understanding _and _identifying _the way that sex _defines _us as a society... We'll talk about the socially-constructed 'gender roles;' we'll also talk about the assumptions and culture behind sex and why it's all so taboo—even in this day and age. But most importantly we'll discuss how an… _attraction _to something or _someone _can give youinsight into the nature of your _own_ sexual experience and behavior. We'll talk about sex—_a lot, naturally, _and how it's shaped you all as people; your problems, your fears, your…_desires,_" he said before looking into Bonnie's eyes. "We'll talk about it all."

Bonnie licked her tongue over her teeth and looked to the ground to ignore the burning that she felt when she looked into his eyes.

As she watched Damon begin to write on the Smart Board, she reopened her laptop and began to type each note that he lay before them.

No matter what, she was determined to keep her perfect G.P.A intact and no Sex-Ed-on-Steroids Class was going to talk her out of making the Dean's List this semester, and each one, here on out.

Not even those _brilliant _blue eyes that glanced at her every so often from the front of the room—easily and unknowingly melting her down to her core, with each chance he got.

_No; not even those._

"So, let's begin—"Damon said, as he turned back towards the class and stuffed his hands into those pockets, once more. _"Who's ready to talk about sex?"_

XXXXX

"_Thank you, and have a good night," _Bonnie smiled, as she retrieved the bill from the table of four in front of her.

She turned on her heel to see Matt Donovan giving her a thumbs-up from behind the bar, with an award-winning beam on his face.

Bonnie laughed shyly as she appeared before him and watched as Matt mixed margarita before placing it into the shaker; blue eyes shining, all the while.

"See? I told you it wasn't _so _hard," he said as he placed a few glasses on the bar before him and began to pour the contents. "Ten tables and already, you're killing it. As your trainer and mentor, I have to say that I am _impressed."_

Bonnie grinned again before glancing inside guest check holder at her tip.

She'd done _really _well with that table, apparently.

"I wouldn't have had a clue if it weren't for you, Matt," she noted. "You're really helpful."

"Nah, I'm okay. You've just got the magic touch. You're pretty much a natural."

Matt handed the drinks off to another waitress and he wiped his hands on his apron as he stared at her silently. When he finally offered a hand for a high-five, Bonnie laughed before finally complying.

"You can call it a night. We're not gonna be much busier and I know you're still new to this balancing your homework and work thing. You can go home," Matt offered.

"Are you sure?" Bonnie asked, as she remembered the ten-page paper that she had _already _been assigned for her Western Civilization class; it'd only been a _week_. "I don't want to slack off—"

"It's cool," Matt said and his eyes shone and Bonnie found herself matching his gaze. "I don't want you to fall behind. Go home, get some stuff done. Alright?"

Bonnie nodded thankfully as she pulled off her apron and Matt stared at her intently as her smile met her eyes.

It'd been a week since she heard anything from Kol, and while she was far from "moving on," she _had _been guilty of some mild flirting here and there with the humans, though she knew they were _completely _off limits.

It was just a fun, nice, and sort of distraction for her—being able to laugh again with guys who weren't warlocks, as she made plenty of new friends—_and very good looking ones, at that_—in her classes and here, at work. Matt, included.

_These Southern Gentlemen were going to be the death of her._

"I'll see you later," Bonnie said as he waved her off and Bonnie grinned. "Thanks, again."

Bonnie walked easily over to the POS system where she punched out and then pulled her cell phone out of her pocket to text Katherine. As she typed quickly on her cell phone to inform the girl that she had been let off of work early, she snapped out of her thoughts when she accidentally bumped into someone.

She looked up and immediately met the blue eyes of a tall, golden-haired man in front of her.

She had no idea who he was—she had never seen him here before—but it felt like she _knew _him. Especially when she noted how fast her heart was beating as he looked at her and she softly cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry—"

"It's quite alright, love," he said with a bit of a British accent and she quickly looked up into his eyes again. "Honest mistake, right?"

Bonnie nodded quickly before she made a motion to walk off and he stopped her.

"You work here, right? What's your name?"

Bonnie breathed in a deep sigh before offering a quaint smile. An obvious one formed at his jaw as well the longer he looked at her.

She may not have been able to pinpoint why he felt so familiar but one thing was for certain—he was _hot. _Maybe this "being in a fight" with Kol thing wouldn't be so bad, after all.

She shook away her ideas before offering him a chaste gaze.

"I do work here," she confirmed, as the man in question smiled as he observed her eyes. "But my _parents _told me not to talk to strangers—"

"Pity," he replied softly, as he stopped right before she could leave and Bonnie inhaled the scent of his cologne as he eyed her unashamedly. "I was hoping you'd be willing to break the rules… Especially for someone of your kind."

Bonnie's brows immediately scrunched as he took her hand into hers and she felt it; he warm familiarity of _power _running throughout his veins as their fingers touched and she gulped hard.

It was way different than that thing she felt when touched Damon, or the fright she imagined when she touched Stefan.

No.

She'd only felt this feeling when she touched her father, Rudy, or Kol—or any other man from back home in Salem, who'd been a part of the League of Brothers. Men of their _kind _had been the only ones to ever make her feel this way; like they knew _her._

Bonnie smiled a bit as he never dropped her hand, and she continued to feel the heated rush of their ties flowing between them. The magic never simmered as he offered her a grin in return and she finally opened her mouth to speak after a few moments of silence. Her astonishment was apparent all the while.

"You're a warlock," she said softly as he met her eyes; he nodded in affirmation while he looked into hers. "How did you know what I was without touching me?"

"I've been around for quite some time," he confessed as Bonnie's stare never dropped. "Your senses grow stronger throughout the years… You'll know one of your own is coming quite often before you even _see _them."

Bonnie beamed at that as their hands finally departed and she shook her head in amazement.

She'd never met any warlocks outside of the ones who'd resided in her hometown, so this was a bit of a surprise for her. A pleasant surprise, but a revelation, none the less.

"I thought Mystic Falls didn't have a supernatural population?" she asked curiously as she bit her nail. "How are you—"

"It's a long story, dear. Perhaps we can discuss one day over coffee—"

"They serve coffee here," she interrupted and the man smiled at her bashfully as she gestured to a booth. "I mean—if you're up for it. I just have so many questions—"

"I think that I have the time to answer them," he grinned before sitting down and Bonnie smiled. "I suppose it also helps that you're a bit cute."

Bonnie felt herself blush at that before he extended his hand lightly towards her and looked into her eyes charmingly as he waited for her to take his hand.

"My name is Niklaus. But you can call me Klaus."

Bonnie smiled softly before she took his hand as well and she immediately felt it the minute his fingers tightened into her grasp.

Bonnie wasn't sure what he did or what was happening; but all she did know was that she felt completely paralyzed for a second as some sort of magic channeled between them. When he finally let her go, she let out a deep breath; a confused one, as her mind felt a bit foggy for a second until she regained her senses and mental stability as she glanced at his eyes.

The clear blue from before evolved into somewhat of a silver for a second before he offered her a smooth smile and the tenseness within her body evaporated, just as quickly as it had started.

She didn't even remember the discomfort she'd felt just a second before.

"I'm Bonnie," she said gently, as Klaus grinned softly. "It's really nice to meet you."

"_You as well, darling."_

**A/N: hello, everyone! So I know this chapter was a bit long and A LOT happened but I hope you enjoyed it! I'm trying to become better at updating so I hope that this one left you guys with a lot of things to think about—especially at the end and in the beginning. Katherine and Kol… it's a very heavy subject that I considered not even dabbling with but I ultimately did, just because I feel like TVD doesn't really handle sexual/physical abuse that well and it's deff something that ticks me off about the show. And with Kat quite literally wanting to kill Kol for what he did to her, I can personally imagine wanting to rip the head off of someone who raped me. That's just me though. Thoughts on that and what you think Katherine will do now that Kol IS here and wants to find Damon?**

**Next, Bonnie and Damon! Did you like their interactions during the morning after/in class? Do you think she had a reason to be mad at him? How do you think things will change between them now that he's her **_**professor **_**but there seems to be an attraction there? Only time will tell.**

**Next—Bonnie and Klaus; did you see that coming? What does he want? And what did he do to her when she agreed to sit down? You'll have to wait and see. As usual, thank you all SO much for reading! TVD has been rough on our OTP and our Bonnie, but stay strong my loves. I hope to see a brighter horizon somehow! Read, review, and enjoy! Love you all. 3**


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